Palliative Care Consultancy Gippsland (PCCG), based at Latrobe Regional Health, provides specialist consultation to health professionals, palliative clients and their families/carers throughout the Gippsland region.

PCCG aims to support palliative care providers, not replace existing community services. The team works collaboratively with local healthcare providers to ensure equity and access to specialist palliative care provision.

Referrals are accepted from any health professional and can be made for people with a progressive life-limiting illness requiring specialist input for:

• complex symptom management and/or input regarding psychological issues
• discussion of Goals Of Care to maintain quality of life and to maximise function and comfort, end of life care and/or advanced care planning
• discussion of treatment options in collaboration with a person’s treating team on the basis of burden vs benefit, which can minimise investigations and procedures that offer no improvement in quality of life
• therapeutic intervention to individuals and families needing end of life counselling
• therapeutic intervention to those at risk of complex bereavement.

Click on this link to refer directly to the service or email: palliativecarecs@lrh.com.au

Please ensure consent has been obtained by the person or family before making a referral.

Palliative Care Clinic: PCCG runs weekly outpatient symptom burden clinics.

Education and Support: PCCG staff are available to provide education, formal/informal debriefing and mentoring to health professionals involved in the delivery of palliative care services across the region.

Administration
Facilitates the smooth delivery of information to health professionals.

Social Workers

• consult and support health professionals where psychological complexities exist
• provide therapeutic intervention where complex end of life or bereavement risk exist
• facilitate supportive death reflections/debriefs in a group or one-on-one setting
• provide one-on-one or group support and debriefing to health professionals.

Palliative Care Coordinators
Nurses experienced in the provision of palliative care to:

• conduct comprehensive assessments
• coordinate reviews and processes in collaboration with clinicians and services as required

Nurse Practitioners
Function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role to:

• conduct comprehensive physical and psychological assessments
• provide symptom management review and medication recommendations
• prescribe medicines and ordering of investigations in consultation and collaboration with treating doctor
• provide psychological and family support including information surrounding treatment and care options.

Physicians
Doctors who have specialised in palliative care and are able to:

• establish individualised symptom assessment and management plans and prepare for end of life care management alongside nursing and medical teams
• provide expertise in managing both cancer and non-cancer conditions with a palliative approach
• discuss challenging ethical issues in end of life care decision making with other clinicians and related parties.

Phone: (03) 5173 8713
Fax: (03) 5173 8441
Email: palliativecarecs@lrh.com.au

Latrobe Regional Health
10 Village Avenue
Traralgon West, VIC 3844

PO Box 424
Traralgon VIC 3844