Albany will soon have capacity to service the increasing demand for palliative care in the area with a new hospice on its way.
The $4.788 million project, made possible by the State Government's Royalties for Regions program, enables the construction of a new eight-bed facility located adjacent to the Albany Health Campus.
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the new hospice would meet the needs of palliative care patients, their carers and the wider community, providing for current and future demands.
"Having the hospice closer to the health campus will enable palliative care patients to have timely access to priority health services, with minimal disruption to regular care," Mr Redman said.
"Royalties for Regions is about retaining benefits in the regions, and by investing in appropriate infrastructure and access to essential health services, we are creating sustainable regional communities."
Increasing the number of beds at the hospice will provide access for additional patients to be cared for, reducing the high dependency on local carers and lessen the need to travel to Perth to access palliative care.
Health Minister Kim Hames said the co-location of the services at the Albany Health Campus made sense for a range of reasons and meant the current four-bed facility could be utilised to accommodate on-call doctors and student placements.
"Availability of affordable student accommodation onsite will be an incentive for medical students choosing clinical placements in Albany, increasing the chances of them returning to work in the region," Dr Hames said.
The Albany Health Campus supports the hospice through the provision of meals, cleaning services, information communications technology and after-hours emergency assistance.
Fact File
The hospice is built on land leased from the State for a peppercorn rent, with the building owned by the Albany Community Hospice Inc
The Albany Community Hospice is one of two remaining private hospices in Western Australia. The other is in Busselton and has been in operation for 21 years
Regional Development Minister's office - 6552 6700
Health Minister's office - 6552 5300
