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We believe that children with life limiting illness and their families should be able to access quality palliative care. Hospice NZ supports children and their families being cared for by paediatric health professionals first and foremost.
We support the development of specialist palliative care for children & young people and their family/whanau in NZ. Access to specialist palliative care in New Zealand is limited at present and we include information about current services below.
Hospice New Zealand continues to work and assist our partners below to advance the paediatric healthcare sector in establishing a uniquely paediatric approach for palliative care for children or young people with a life limiting illness and their families and whanau.
The Palliative Care Working Party - which includes Hospice NZ representation, has advised the Ministry of Health of the need to support and strengthen the availability of paediatric palliative care nationally.
We are advised that The Ministry is now working directly with Ross Drake (PCWP member, Chair of Special Interest Group for Paediatric Palliative Care within the Paediatric Society of New Zealand) and Pat Tuohy, (Chief Advisor Child & Youth at the Ministry of Health) to progress this issue. The Ministry says that although new funding is limited, they are committed to supporting and strengthening paediatric palliative care nationally within available resources.
The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
Starship Hospital houses the only specialist palliative care paediatrician in New Zealand and covers the Auckland region.
The paediatric palliative care team at Starship consists of a - Specialist Paediatrician, Nurse Specialist, Specialist Paediatric Social Worker, Grief and Bereavement Counsellor and Child Psychiatrist. The team is based at Starship Children's Health but most of the time works in the community.
Kids Health is a New Zealand website - a joint initiative between the Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand. They offer advice and information for parents and have a section related to grief which addresses topics eg reactions by age groups, what to do after a child has died; coping with the death of a parent.
Skylight helps children, young people and their families/whanau through tough times of change, loss, trauma and grief - whatever the cause. They offer excellent resources that are available on their website.
The Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne have some excellent resources on their website related to paediatric palliative care.
A Palliative Care Needs Assessment for Children, Ireland: A Report
Some years ago, the Irish Hospice Foundation joined with the Department of Health and Children to initiate a nationwide study into the end-of-life care needs of children. The final report, A Palliative Care Needs Assessment for Children, was published and launched by the Minister for Health & Children, in September 2005.
Auckland University provides the opportunity to participate in a paper in Paediatric and Adolescent PC, now into its 4th year, as part of their Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Care. The teaching of this is led by the specialist paediatric palliative care team. The Starship Children's Hospital also has a one day seminar on the general principles of PPC.
Drake R, Frost J, Collins JJ. 2003. The symptoms of dying children. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 26(1): 594-603.
Drake R, Longworth J, Collins JJ. 2004. Opioid rotation in children with cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine 7(3): 419-22.
Drake R, Hain R. 2006. Pain - pharmacological management. Chapter 21 in Goldman A, Hain R, Liben S. 2006. Oxford Textbook of Palliative Care for Children, Oxford University Press.
Horsburgh M, Trenholme A, Huckle T. 2002. Paediatric respite care: a literature review from New Zealand. Palliative Medicine 16(2): 99-105.
Horsburgh M, Jones R, Riding A, Trenholme A. 2002. The need for paediatric palliative care in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal 2002 11;115(1163): U198.
MacLeod RD. 2002. Caring for children who are dying (editorial). New Zealand Medical Journal 115(1163): U195.
Craft A, Killen S. 2007. Palliative care services for children and young people in England: an independent review for the Secretary of State for Health. London: Department of Health
Department of Health. 2008a. Better Care: Better Lives. London: Department of Health