Palliative Care
When an illness cannot be cured, Palliative Care is available to help manage distressing or complex symptoms and provide support.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District's (ISLHD's) Palliative Care Service works with care teams, like GPs and other specialists, to provide comfort and quality of life, while you or your loved one gets on with living.
Our Palliative Care staff assess patient and carer needs, and consider personal wishes and goals for care.
Palliative Care teams include doctors, nurses, allied health staff, social workers and volunteers.
They provide:
- regular assessments and treatments to target symptoms such as pain, nausea, breathlessness and anxiety
- support for physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs
- access to specialist support in any ISLHD hospital, residential aged care facility or at home
- access to loan equipment to care safely at home
- access to after-hours support
- ongoing professional and volunteer support to family members and carers.
All services are free of charge.
Enquiries: 1300 068 458
Referrals: ISLHD-AccessandReferralCentre@health.nsw.gov.au
Urgent referrals: 1300 792 755
Full list of Palliative Care services
Illawarra-Shoalhaven Specialist Community Palliative Care ServiceThe Illawarra Shoalhaven Specialist Community Palliative Care Service supports the population from Coledale to Milton Ulladulla. The service operates out of community health centres across the District. The Specialist Community Palliative Care Service consists of multiple specialist care clinicians including Palliative Care Medical Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Consultants, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Registered Nurses, Allied Health Clinicians, Allied Health Assistants, Senior Aboriginal Health Workers, Community Volunteers and outpatient services including specialist Bereavement Counselling service. The Service provides equipment and after hours telephone and virtual support. The Service works with ISLHD Community Health Nurses and with external services such as general practitioners, pharmacies, Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), Non-Government Organisations, Primary Health Network Coordinare, NSW Ambulance and other agencies. |
||
| Allied Health Services - Palliative Care Illawarra-Shoalhaven | Illawarra / Shoalhaven |
1300 068 458 |
| Community Specialist Palliative Care Services - Illawarra-Shoalhaven | Illawarra / Shoalhaven |
1300 068 458 |
| Palliative Care Equipment Loan Pool - Illawarra-Shoalhaven | Port Kembla Hospital |
02 4223 8263 |
| Palliative Care Equipment Loan Pool - Illawarra-Shoalhaven | David Berry Hospital |
02 4464 6948 |
| Primary Health Nurses (Generalist) - Community Health | District-wide service |
1300 068 458 |
Illawarra-Shoalhaven Specialist Inpatient Palliative Care ServiceThe Illawarra Palliative Care Service operates primarily from Port Kembla Hospital, where you will find our 15-bed Palliative Care Unit, our Specialist Community Palliative Care team, Outpatient Clinic, the Equipment Loan Pool and Volunteer Service. Our Palliative Care Consult Service provides services into other hospitals and is located at Wollongong Hospital. We also work closely with primary health nurses from Community Health. Patients must be referred by a doctor and ‘linked’ to the Palliative Care Service prior to receiving specialist palliative care support services. |
||
| C6 West Ward Inpatient Service - Illawarra | Wollongong Hospital |
|
| Specialist Palliative Care Inpatient Service - Illawarra | Port Kembla Hospital |
02 4223 8000 |
| Specialist Palliative Care Inpatient Service - Shoalhaven | David Berry Hospital |
02 4464 6928 |
Volunteer services
|
||
| Volunteer Services - Illawarra | Illawarra |
0439 443 387 |
| Volunteer Services - Shoalhaven | Shoalhaven |
0428 113 492 |
Bereavement Service
|
||
| Bereavement Counselling Service | District |
1300 068 458 |
| Bereavement Service | District |
1300 068 458 |