The four remaining staff members’ contracts will end in coming weeks. PCT general manager Colleen Johnstone will be the last to leave, and will finish up on February 15. 

The service provides end of life education to Tasmanians statewide, and gages community concern about end of life care.

Program manager for Northern Tasmania Sharon King, whose role covers the North and North-West, said discovering different cultures’ and religions’ customs was enlightening. 

Ms King started work with PCT about two years ago, beginning her role with experience as an allied health professional. Educating vulnerable communities has been particularly rewarding, she said. 

“People like in the LGBTI community, there’s specific considerations we might need to take a look at, such as estranged families [that] can cause alot of anxiety at end of life,” she said. 

Ms King said Tasmania’s communities were incredibly diverse and had different needs. PCT consultation led to providing services ranging from palliative care beds at George Town to art therapy at Deloraine, she said. She said there was anxiety within the sector about who would fill the gap, and still community confusion about the definition of palliative care. 

Ms King said PCT was “quietly confident” that a state parliamentary inquiry into palliative care would put forward positive recommendations for PCT. She said she hoped to keep the door open to be able to continue educating in palliative care. 

“I think we’re really proud of what we have achieved, and we’re just disappointed and sad to see this ending,” she said. 

But Ms King said without her “great manager” Ms Johnstone’s persistence, the service would have had to wrap up in June. 

PCT acquired federal government funding as part of the Better Access to Palliative Care funding from June 2012. Funding was due to end in June 2016 but was extended to September last year. PCT then worked on short-term projects and has approached the state government for funding. A state government spokeswoman said the state government had “worked constructively” with PCT since their federal funding ended and would “continue to investigate opportunities” to support them.