Palliative care aims to support people living with a terminal illness. The care focuses on supporting the person who has the illness as well as their family and friends.
Palliative care concentrates on a person’s quality of life by managing symptoms, and meeting a person’s social, emotional and spiritual needs. It also provides advice, support and education to family and friends.
The Palliative Care team is committed to providing inclusive care for everyone, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with a disability, and people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds
Leading the way in palliative care by working together with you for a better quality of life.
Barwon Health Palliative Care Program service definers:
The Barwon Health Palliative Care Program provides care to patients and their families within the Barwon South West Region. The services we offer include:
Palliative Care Consultancy at University Hospital Geelong is available to all acute areas of Barwon Health and is available to both inpatient and those attending outpatient appointments. The team consists of a Palliative Care Consultant Physician, Palliative Care Registrar, Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Candidate and Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Consultant. The service aims to provide:
Community Palliative Care provides specialist care in a client’s home or outpatient clinic as appropriate. Our aim is to ensure that the most appropriate mix of services and professionals are available to provide care and support to patients and their family/carers. Community Palliative Care Specialist staff provide:
Palliative Care Unit at the McKellar Centre a 15-bed facility providing high-quality patient and family-orientated care, including pain and symptom management and bereavement support to family and friends.
Outpatient Clinics at Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and McKellar Centre
The palliative care team uses a multidisciplinary team approach (meaning they represent a range of skills and clinical backgrounds) as we recognise you may have a range of clinical, spiritual, psychological, financial and social care needs.
The multidisciplinary team meets on a weekly basis. The disciplines represented in the team include:
The aim of the team is to ensure you are able to access services that are appropriate to you.
Palliative care can be accessed early in the course of an illness, together with other therapies intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes tests/investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing symptoms.
Regardless of your level of need, the palliative care team is available to provide advice and support to you and other professionals involved in your care. Your general practitioner (GP) is an integral part of this team.
The Palliative Care service is accessed by means of a referral. A referral can be made by hospital staff, your GP or other specialists with your consent. Your family/carer can also refer or you can self-refer.
To refer to the Palliative Care service or for any enquiries please phone 4215 5700, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Address: McKellar Centre, 45-95 Ballarat Road, North Geelong
Hours: 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday
Phone: 03 4215 5700
Fax: 03 4215 6390