SNSWLHD will use the funding to employ Volunteer Coordinators, who will play an integral role in ensuring people accessing palliative care receive consistent, quality care from the service’s volunteers.
SNSWLHD Palliative Care Volunteer Services Project Officer Fiona Sivyer said Volunteer Coordinators will be an important link between patients and carers receiving end-of-life care, and the clinicians and volunteers providing the specialised support.
“End-of-life volunteers seek to improve quality of life for patients and their carers. The Volunteer Coordinators will play an important role in supporting volunteers to do this work, as well as ensuring they are getting the support they need.”
Ms Sivyer, in partnership with Palliative Care NSW and Coordinare, helped establish the Palliative Care Volunteer Service in 2020. Starting in the Monaro region, services have since opened in Queanbeyan and the Eurobodalla, and a new service is planned for the Bega Valley.
“We train volunteers in end-of-life care so they can offer compassion, companionship and respite to clients and carers, which helps to reduce distress and improve peoples’ quality of life and bereavement experiences,” she said.
“The Volunteer Coordinators will manage these wonderful volunteers in the regions they support, and they will assist in recruitment of volunteers, coordination of meetings, training, education and further professional development opportunities.”
Ms Sivyer said SNSWLHD is currently seeking Expressions of Interest for the Volunteer Coordinator roles in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla.
“These are new roles for the Local Health District. We are currently interviewing candidates for the role in Queanbeyan, but we’re keen to start interviewing candidates for the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla in the coming weeks,” she said.
If you’d like more information about the roles, contact Jacqueline Clancy on (02) 6150 7576 or Jacqueline.Clancy@health.nsw.gov.au.
For media inquiries, email snswlhd-media@health.nsw.gov.au.
