Palliative Care
Home Support Program
Care Worker
FAQs
To find out more about this service, contact us
Telephone: 1300 884 304 Email: pchsp@hammond.com.au Fax: 1300 882 807
Palliative Care Home Support Program: Care Workers FAQs
What are Palliative Care Home Support Packages?
HammondCare is providing a service to provide end of life palliative care support, day or night, for up
to 48 hours, provided by community care workers trained for the task and working as part of existing
Community Palliative Care multidisciplinary teams.
What will I be required to do?

Care provided under each package is individually determined by the patient and their family in
consultation with the Community Palliative Care team. Care may include assistance with personal
hygiene, domestic assistance and shopping. In consultation with the Community Palliative Care
team and the patient’s GP, it may also include basic nursing duties.

The Community Palliative Care Coordinator will be given your details and will contact you to
arrange a handover and to discuss the plan of care. You will also be given a copy of the Patient
Information Briefing Note For Care Workers, which will contain patient details and a brief outline
of the plan for the patient.
Are care workers able to administer medication?
Care workers can only assist with medication from a blister pack. The Community Palliative Care
team will provide medication advice to the informal care giver as required. In the event that a care
worker is in the home of a patient overnight and a medication requirement arises, the care worker is
responsible for waking the informal care giver, who is responsible for managing the situation. If there
is no formal care giver, the care worker is required to escalate to the after-hours on-call support.
What are working hours?
Working hours will vary according to the needs of the patient and will be determined in consultation
with the Community Palliative Care team.

Hours may be during the day or at night.

Overnight shifts, because of the nature of the work, are not considered a “sleepover”, i.e. it is an
“awake” shift and will be paid as such.
Who will I be working with?
When you have been allocated to a patient’s care, you will become a member of the Community
Palliative Care team caring for a patient at home. This means you will have the opportunity to be
working with people external to your normal work team and network.
How will I find out about my shifts?

You will be contacted to work, based on the availability you have indicated to the Palliative Care
Home Support team.

The Package Manager/Coordinator will phone your immediate supervisor to ensure your
availability for the shift and will then confirm the shift and patient details with you.

If your circumstances change, you should notify the Palliative Care Home Support team on 1300
884 304 to ensure that your details are updated.

The packages are designed to be delivered as required and it is expected that in some instances
you will be asked to work at reasonably short notice. NB: the 48 hours may be used
consecutively or spread over several weeks.
Palliative Care Home Support Program Care Worker FAQs
Will I be paid for travel?
Your current employment agreement remains unchanged apart from a provision to be
reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in reaching patients in remote locations or significantly out
of area. A remote location for the purpose of this program is one located 50 kilometres or more from
a town centre or the care worker home base.
Who do I report to when I am on shift in a patient’s home?
For clinical issues and concerns you will report directly to the Community Palliative Care Coordinator
for the duration of the patient’s care package. Contact numbers will be provided on the care worker
Patient Information Briefing Note.
Who do I report to for administrative matters, including pay?
For all pay and administrative issues, or arrangements about shifts, contact the Palliative Care Home
Support Program team on 1300 884 304.
Is a debriefing service available if I need it?
Yes. Bereavement, pastoral care and specialised social work/staff counselling will be available to
support you, on request. The Program staff will have regular contact with you and will arrange extra
support as you need it.
Thank you for being part of the Palliative Care Home Support Program. We value your input – please
do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries, concerns or feedback.
Palliative Care Home Support Program Care Worker FAQs