Albany Community Hospice awarded for excellence in palliative care at WA awards

Albany is leading the way for end-of-life care in WA, picking up two major honours at the 2021 Palliative Care in WA Awards.

Albany Community Hospice won the Douglas MacAdam Perpetual Trophy for Excellence in Palliative Care at a gala ceremony in Perth last week.

The trophy is presented to a WA organisation which delivers outstanding palliative care.

Meanwhile, the City of Albany won the inaugural local government award, giving Albany two winners from 19 finalists across six categories.

Albany Community Hospice — the only community owned hospice in WA — relies on community support to provide quality end-of-life care to patients at no cost to them or their families.

Clinical Hospice manager Fiona Jane said the award recognised their team’s dedication to their patients and their families.

“Our work here at Albany Community Hospice has been recognised by the peak body representing Palliative Care in WA, and it goes to highlight our team’s passion and commitment to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for all of our patients as well as their family and carer networks,” she said.

“We are a cohesive, flexible, and compassionate team and we will continue to listen to our patients, respond to their individual needs and provide the best person-centred care possible.”

The City of Albany was also a winner at the 2021 Palliative Care in WA Awards, winning the inaugural local government category.

The new category — for an outstanding local government supporting a compassionate community approach — recognises an international movement where communities play an active role in supporting those experiencing death, dying, care giving, grief and loss.

The City was honoured after it adopted a Compassionate Communities Charter with a palliative care focus understood to be the first of its kind for a local government.

“Compassionate Communities encourages communities and neighbourhood networks to play a much stronger role in supporting people, their families and carers at the end of life,” City chief executive Andrew Sharpe said.

“The City worked with WA Primary Health Alliance to deliver an in-depth framework encouraging people to adopt an understanding that health is everyone’s responsibility, not just their doctor’s or health services.”