RESEARCHERS conducting a feasibility study into opening a standalone hospice in the North have concluded there is no need for such a facility.
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The government commissioned Grosvenor Management Consulting to undertake the study last year. Campaigners have been pushing for a standalone hospice in Launceston since Philip Oakden House closed in 2007.
The study found that the number of inpatient beds in Northern Tasmania was enough to meet current demand and that expected in the next two decades.
It also found there was a high level of satisfaction with rural palliative care sites and the palliative care services provided by Calvary Health Care at the 15-bed Melwood Unit in Launceston.
The report recommended palliative care services continued to be delivered within the North’s rural palliative care facilities and at Calvary St Luke’s.
Other recommendations included working to increase coordination and understanding of existing services, and conducting awareness-raising activities to increase community understanding of the Melwood Unit's value and capability.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the government would take time to consider the report’s findings.
The study found that the number of inpatient beds in Northern Tasmania was enough to meet current demand and that expected in the next two decades.
“I understand that people are passionate about palliative care in Northern Tasmania,” he said.
“In acknowledging this, we also recognise that the key recommendations of the feasibility study will be disappointing for those who have so strongly and positively pushed for a standalone hospice facility, with my in-principle support.
“The state government is committed to ensuring that all Tasmanians have access to a balanced range of palliative care options into the future. Any options pursued must be informed by the best available evidence."
