Ms. Stephanie Looi1, Angela Vaughan1
1NSW Ambulance, NSW, Australia
Biography:
To be provided if approved by NSWA.
Abstract:
The NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Act in May 2022, with VAD services commencing on 28 November 2023. Although NSW Ambulance does not have a legislated role in providing VAD services, given the likelihood of NSW Ambulance clinicians coming in contact with VAD, it was necessary to establish a project to ensure patients who are part of the VAD process receive high quality patient centred care, and ensure that NSW Ambulance meets all legislative requirements.
Strong system-wide coordination and leadership from the Office of the Chief Health Officer, NSW Health, created clear lines of communication during planning and implementation. This was supported by the multiple forums operating at various levels, such as the local Health District Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation Working Group and the VAD Community of Practice allowing for issues to be raised and resolved at a systems level.
At a NSW Ambulance level, the project was governed by a Steerco that had wide representation from throughout the organisation, including aeromedical, regional and metro clinical operations, Legal, Medical Services, Staff Health, Clinical Governance and the Virtual Clinical Care Centre which considered the impacts on Ambulance through 5 priority areas: Clinical Practice, Education, the Control Centre, Staff Communications and Engagement and Staff Support Key Success factors included dedicated resourcing, a strong integration into the broader health system response and a Steerco that represented diverse views.