Citation
(2002), "Canada. Achievements in palliative care", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215eab.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
Canada. Achievements in palliative care
Canada
Achievements in palliative care
As they marked National Hospice Palliative Care Week in May, federal ministers responsible for end-of-life care looked back on a year of progress. The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Sharon Carstairs, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister with Special Responsibility for Palliative Care, reiterated the Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to quality palliative care.
Minister Carstairs said: "Palliative Care Week is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the incredible dedication exhibited by those involved in palliative and end-of-life care.
"We have made progress in the past year and the Government of Canada is committed to continuing this important work."
The Ministers pointed to several key steps taken during the past 12 months towards a pan-Canadian approach to end-of-life care including:
- •
the establishment of a Secretariat on Palliative and End-of-Life Care within Health Canada, which is working with provincial and territorial governments, and a broad range of stakeholders, to develop a strategy for quality palliative and end-of-life care across Canada;
- •
a major, multi-stakeholder workshop hosted by the Secretariat in Winnipeg this March;
- •
the injection by Health Canada of substantial start-up funding into the Canadian Virtual Hospice, which envisages, when fully operational, making vital information and expertise just a mouse-click away for patients, caregivers and medical professionals alike;
- •
the September 2001 Federal, Provincial and Territorial Health Ministers' Meeting, where Ministers shared information on current initiatives and had preliminary discussions about areas in which their governments can work together to enhance the care provided to terminally ill Canadians;
- •
the National Norms of Practice for Hospice Palliative Care that were developed by the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association, with funding from Health Canada, to give Canadians and hospices alike a yardstick for assessing quality care;
- •
the launch of the CHPCA's online Directory of Hospice Palliative Care Services, funded by Health Canada, to help Canadians find the palliative care services and information that they need.