Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has launched a new plan for palliative care, calling it a priority for the government.

Recent statistics predict a 51 per cent growth in demand for palliative care services in the next 20 years, from 24,680 people in 2016 to more than 37,000 in 2038.

'We're committed to ensuring New Zealanders can access palliative care services when they need them and in the settings they prefer,” says Jonathan.

The population within some city District Health Board areas are predicted to grow by a third by 2035, so the increase in need for hospice services here is expected to be correspondingly high.

Hospices are represented on the Palliative Care Advisory Panel, which had input into the Ministry of Health's Review and Action Plan. The review focuses on improving services over the next three to five years, while taking into account the expected demand for those services over the next 10 to 20 years.

The review proposes five priority areas. These includes improving the variety and quality of services and adopting a more patient-centred model of care.

'A major focus will be responding to feedback from people receiving palliative care and their families,” says Jonathan.

'One of the first actions will be developing a framework for collecting patients and their families' experiences of adult palliative care to understand what is working well and identify opportunities for improvement.”

Hospice Eastern Bay of Plenty spokesperson Rosemary Sloman says the review is important to the quality of their work.

'Working closely with our colleagues in primary, secondary and residential care is essential to ensure seamless and quality care; not only for the patient, but for those he or she loves, wherever a person lives and dies.”

The Review of Adult Palliative Care and the Palliative Care Action Plan are available on the Ministry of Health website, www.health.govt.nz