Mid North Coast Local Health District will benefit from an additional $300,000 in funding to support a range of initiatives which will enhance paediatric palliative respite and end-of-life care across the region.
This funding boost is part of the NSW Government's $2.8 million investment to enhance children's end-of-life care services, ensuring greater equity of access to both hospital and community-based services across NSW.
This forms part of the NSW Government's commitment to increase paediatric palliative care funding to approximately $80 million over four years from 2023-24 to 2026-27.
The district will receive funding to enhance current paediatric spaces in the Coffs Harbour Health Campus and Port Macquarie Base Hospital to create comforting and friendly child and family areas which may serve a range of purposes, including palliative care, maternity services and after-death care, as well as to care for children with chronic and complex conditions.
The funding will support cosmetic upgrades and artwork, purchase specialised equipment and comfort items as well as essential repairs and maintenance to create warm, family-friendly spaces for paediatric care at Coffs Harbour Health Campus and Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
The initiatives supported by this funding will help ensure that families can access a range of high-quality services in a comforting environment closer to home.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:
"This funding underscores our commitment to supporting some of the most vulnerable children and their families in NSW.
"Paediatric palliative care is essential for providing comfort and dignity to children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
"Importantly, this funding will allow us to extend and enhance a model of care which provides families with much-needed peace of mind, knowing they can care for their child in a familiar, supportive environment during their final days.
Quotes attributable to Government Spokesperson for Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, Cameron Murphy MLC:
"This $80 million investment by the Labor Government will help create a more family friendly environment, closer to home for children and families, providing dignity as they deal with the most difficult circumstances."
Quotes attributable to Government Spokesperson for Oxley, Anthony D'Adam MLC:
"This funding is about ensuring that every child and every family in the region receives compassionate and high-quality care."
"Families across the Mid North Coast facing the unimaginable, deserve spaces that are welcoming, dignified, and tailored to their needs- this investment helps deliver exactly that."
"By supporting upgrades at the Port Macquarie Base Hospital, we are building not just better facilities, but a stronger, more supportive healthcare system for our youngest and most vulnerable patients."
