The Sunshine Coast Hub for Specialist Palliative Care Rural Telehealth Service of SPARTA, as it is more commonly known, is the winner of the 2021 Palliative Care In Queensland Innovation in Palliative Care Award.
Supporting the districts of Wide Bay, Central Queensland and Central West, SPARTA supports community nurses, GPs, and regional and rural and remote hospitals to provide palliative and end-of-life care in home, RACF and inpatient settings.
Enabled via technology, the telehealth service has enabled specialist palliative care services to be delivered on a consistent and sustainable basis in areas where it has not been previously possible. Via SPARTA, patients and families have been supported through symptom assessment and management, advance care planning, access to the MASS Palliative Care Equipment Program, psychosocial support and end of life care.
Through the use of technology, the service has supported health professionals as they manage patients, access information, capture notes and discussions and critically provide comprehensive in-home care, which had not been possible before.
We caught up with Dr Prem Ram to find out what winning the 2021 Palliative Care In Queensland Innovation in Palliative Care Award means.
What does winning a 2021 Palliative Care in Qld Award mean to you?
Whilst gratifying to the team and I, this was completely unexpected.
How does it feel to be recognised for your contribution to Palliative Care in Qld?
Humbling.
Our team’s vision and passion at delivering virtual support to palliative patients and their families has been celebrated by this award
Who would you like to thank or acknowledge as part of your award win?
There are many to thank. The Sunshine Coast SPARTA team (Dr Cooper, Rayers, and Adamthwaite, our pharmacist Ben Newman, our allied health team Daniel Polon and Susie Smith, our CNC Sharon Adams, and our AOs Wendy Burke and Carly Shelton). I give thanks to my senior executive team and Clinical Director who supported the project, and the spoke HHS who support our work.
