Busselton Hospice Care Incorporated
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Mission Statement
Supporting life lived well, dying, death and bereavement. Everyone matters. No one needs to die, or grieve, alone.
About This Cause
BHCI was established in 1989 as a not-for-profit organisation to engage the community in supporting end-of-life care in the Busselton region. In 1999, BHCI built a two-bedroom Hospice building, supported by community fundraising and contributions from the WA Department of Health and LotteryWest. From 2000-2015, the BHCI created a unique partnership with West Australian Country Health Service - South West (WACHS-SW). This volunteer-led service provided inpatient palliative care in partnership with the Silver Chain Nursing Association. Generous support from the local community enabled BHCI to employ palliative care nurses to coordinate and provide nursing care to hospice and community patients, and to manage the palliative care volunteers. In 2015, the new Busselton Health campus incorporated a purpose-built four bed hospice ward and the BHCI nursing staff were transitioned to the WACHS-SW palliative care service along with the in-patient hospice unit volunteer model. BHCI then adapted its volunteer-led service delivery model to the ongoing management of up to 100 palliative care volunteers most of whom work within the Busselton Health Campus (BHC) Hospice ward. The original Craig Street hospice unit is now a standalone facility, following the demolition of the old Busselton Hospital. BHCI refurbished the building, which is now known as the Geographe Bay Centre (GBC). GBC is the heart of BHCI, and is now used for volunteer training, complementary therapy, and bereavement services, education around dying and end-of-life care, and administration for the delivery of these services. BHCI’s services are award winning, with honours for Outstanding Organisation and the Douglas MacAdam Perpetual Trophy for Excellence in Palliative Care at the WA Palliative Care Awards in 2019, winner of the 2023 WACOSS (Western Australian Council of Social Service) Community Service Excellence Awards in the category of regional organisation providing collaborative, innovative or creative programs or services, and winner of the combined Busselton and Dunsborough/Yallingup Chamber’s of Commerce and Industry Excellence in Not-for-Profit award category. BHCI’s vision promotes excellence in palliative care volunteering and the inclusion of compassionate community support at end-of-life care. We believe in the provision of quality end-of-life care for people diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and their carers, and to partner stakeholders to provide compassionate palliative care and bereavement support. BHCI volunteers provide about 6,000 hours of social and emotional support in the palliative care Hospice Unit at Busselton Health Campus each year. This partnership enhances the clinical care provision and affords people with a terminal diagnosis and their care network more choice, practical assistance, and emotional and social support during dying, death, grief, and loss. BHCI’s services are offered free of charge and with no service caps. The Busselton Health Campus Hospice Unit’s in-patient Hospice Volunteer Program. BHCI recruits, trains, and manages a team of 75+ local people who provide emotional and social support for patients, their carers, and their family and friends in the BHC Hospice ward. These volunteers are supported by a highly skilled and qualified Hospice Volunteer Coordinator and work under the direction of the nursing staff in the Hospice ward with support from a team of BHCI staff and experienced senior volunteers. These volunteers provide companionship, a listening ear, and practical help every day of the year, ensuring no one dies alone or unsupported. The volunteer-led, peer-based, Bereavement Support Program that includes 1:1 appointments and telephone support, support groups, community bereavement education and an annual Community Remembrance Service. A volunteer-led, peer-based, Bereavement Support Program includes one-to-one appointments, telephone support, group activities, bereaved men’s and women’s groups, community bereavement education, and an annual community remembrance service. The program’s volunteers are recruited, trained, and managed by the Bereavement Support Coordinator who also coordinates the delivery of the program to the clients. This service is free of charge with no caps on service use. A Complementary Therapy Program leveraging volunteer therapists with appropriate qualifications for palliative care patients, their care givers and the bereaved. Qualified volunteer therapists provide a range of complementary therapy treatments for people receiving palliative care, their care givers and people who are recently bereaved. Palliative care volunteers meet and greet clients and provide support to those for whom the therapy session facilitates an emotional release. These volunteers are supported by the Complementary Therapy Coordinator who also coordinates program delivery. This service is free of charge with no caps on service use. A Community Outreach Service Program, to support people who are dying, to remain at home for as long as possible. Community Outreach Service (COS) volunteers provide in-home companionship and emotional and social support for people receiving palliative care and their care network. This program commenced in the second half of 2021 and is continually being improved. The COS Coordinator supports a network of volunteers who provide in-home companionship, emotional and social support for people receiving palliative care and their care network. The COS Program comprises two services: A Carer Education Program; and a Home Visiting Volunteer program. The Carer Education Program was implemented in March 2020 in response to COVID-19. The program aims to maintain a person's identity, community connections and reduce the incidence/intensity of comorbidities associated with dying/bereavement for the dying person and their carer (e.g., social isolation, fear, loneliness, depression, recurrence of existing health issues). The Community Outreach Service Program aims to: • Link people at end of life, as well as their carer(s) to the complementary and bereavement support services offered by BHCI and other relevant support services/groups in the community. • Assist the development of community resilience and death literacy so its citizens know what to do and how to support each other when someone is caring, dying, and grieving. • Recruit, train and manage a team of palliative care volunteers to provide ongoing community connection, emotional and social support in the home of a person living with a life limiting illness, coming to the end of life, as well as their care network. • Evaluate the Carer Education and Home Visiting Volunteer Programs in line with BHCI's quality assurance/improvement process to ensure the program is of the highest standard and remains fit-for-purpose.