Palliative care for patients in correctional facilities

Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network

Published: May 2023

The Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (Justice Health) palliative care service provides support to patients referred from across NSW. Justice Health only provides inpatient end of life care at Long Bay Hospital, which is situated in the Long Bay Correctional Complex, or through transfer of care to a NSW Health inpatient setting. Patient preference and staff capacity to provide safe and comfortable care are considered when deciding an appropriate inpatient setting.

Multidisciplinary approach to palliative care in correctional facilities

Justice Health uses a multidisciplinary palliative care model in correctional facilities. It involves the following steps:

Screening and identification

Triage to specialist palliative care team

Comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment

Care planning, symptom management and 24/7 support to death

The palliative care model of care is delivered collaboratively by Justice Health staff to ensure care is holistic and person-centred to meet the physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs of the patients. The model of care is a standard approach for clinical safety of patients and variances should be documented.

Benefits of palliative care model of care for patients

Justice Health patients receive care via a primary health model. Benefits of primary health as the foundation of the Justice Health palliative care model of care include:

  • The focus of care is person-centred
  • Care takes a multidisciplinary approach
  • There is increased collaboration with external care providers
  • Specialist palliative care support is provided, which is not dependent on a particular care setting
  • Advance care planning is facilitated by the specialist palliative care team, which ensures patient involvement is decision-making.

In addition, patients may receive care from other Network clinicians and specialties, including:

  • dietitian
  • speech pathologist
  • physiotherapist
  • cancer care nurse
  • Integrated Care Service
  • drug and alcohol, population health and custodial mental health teams.

The palliative care team approach also involves working closely with external care providers, including:

  • Palliative Care Staff Specialist (Prince of Wales Hospital Visiting Medical Officer to Long Bay Hospital)
  • Services and Program Officers, Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW)
  • CSNSW Chaplaincy Services.

Care provision is based on each patient’s individual needs.

Patient goals of care vary, but can include comfort measures, wishes not to be moved between correctional centres or to a tertiary hospital, and support for early release.

Practical support is provided to the patients with:

  • organising wills
  • supporting next of kin navigating Corrective Services visitation processes
  • provision of appropriate equipment for comfort and mobility support.

After the patient has died, and where visitation is not possible, Justice Health team can arrange video calls with next of kin and family member to provide follow-up bereavement care.

Helpful tips for other networks

  • Co-design the service model with patients and families
  • Identify a single point of contact for patients and their families to seek information and guidance from as they navigate the health and correctional processes and plan for death.

Download the full local initiative for the Palliative care model of care (PDF 505.7 KB)

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