Regional Specialist Consultancy Service

The aim of the Loddon Mallee Regional Specialist Palliative Care Consultancy Service is to provide a specialist palliative care service for complex patients to enhance their care in the region by supporting current providers of palliative care services.

The Loddon Mallee Regional Specialist Palliative Care Consultancy Service focuses on Priority 4 – “Providing specialist palliative care when and where it is needed” of the Department of Health’s document “Strengthening palliative care: Policy and strategic directions 2011-2015.

The services provided include:

In-Reach service in all public hospitals in the Loddon Mallee region:

• Consultancy advice and support;

• Direct patient assessment and clinical planning;

•Facilitate access and service provision for patients, carers and their families by guiding appropriate referrals to palliative care services.

Outreach service as a secondary level of support:

•Consultancy advice to the current care team

•Direct patient assessment and clinical planning

•Participation in interdisciplinary meetings

•Guiding appropriate referrals to palliative care services including inpatient beds

The service could be provided by a Palliative Care Physician/s, Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Consultants via:

•Telephone Advice

•Video Conferencing

•Personal visit

•Case conference/team meetings

The Service has two sub-regions: Northern (Mildura LGA & Robinvale) and Southern (remainder of the LGA’s in the Loddon Mallee Region).

Contact for Information:

Northern LMRSPCCS – phone 50259028; fax 50225445

Southern LMRSPCCS – phone 54546262; fax 54546336

Contact for Referrals:

Northern LMRSPCCS – fax to 50225445 or through Connecting Care

Southern LMRPSCCS – fax to 54547099 or through Connecting Care

Referrals are encouraged from another healthcare worker – with the knowledge and preferred agreement of the treating Medical person (GP / Hospital doctor). If help is directly sought from a patient / family, the Consultancy will contact the treating doctor.

In addition to Clinical advice, the Regional Consultancy also has a role in ongoing formal Education sessions. The Education Sessions are published on the home page of this website in our education calendar.