Information bulletin
VCH seeks to increase Vancouver hospice beds
Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) plans to expand options for terminally ill patients by increasing the number of hospice beds in Vancouver.
VCH is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) this week that will increase hospice beds in Vancouver by as much as 60 per cent. The successful proponent(s) will provide a hospice facility and deliver care to hospice clients while adhering to VCH’s Hospice Standards and B.C. Ministry of Health policy and legislation.
“This announcement reflects the Province’s goal of doubling the amount of hospice spaces in B.C. by 2020,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “The new hospice spaces will provide essential end-of-life-care to those with terminal illnesses, focusing on compassion and dignity in a serene environment with loved ones at their side.”
Currently, there are 28 hospice beds in three contracted facilities across Vancouver. The RFP will secure up to 18 new hospice beds, both in the Downtown Eastside and elsewhere in Vancouver.
“Ensuring hospice residents receive the best possible care and have access to the services they need is a top priority for VCH,” says Laura Case, Chief Operating Officer-Vancouver Community. “These additional hospice beds will help to provide increased access to timely, coordinated end of life care in the community.”
Hospices provide holistic care and support to improve the quality of life for people of any age and at any stage, who are terminally ill, in the last three months of their lives.
“This expansion will help improve the quality of care for people nearing the end of their lives,” says Dr. Tim Sakaluk, Medical Director of Home Hospice Palliative Care Services in Vancouver. “In many cases this means clients can live out their last days in a peaceful and comfortable home-like setting rather than in a hospital.”
Current and new hospice providers across Vancouver are welcome to submit a proposal. The RFP closes June 30, 2016.
In Vancouver, patients may also remain in their homes and access end of life clinical care and support provided by interdisciplinary teams including home care nurses. VCH also provides 27 acute beds in palliative care units in St Paul’s and Vancouver General Hospitals.
This expansion aligns with the Provincial End of Life Action Plan, and the Province’s commitment to double the number of hospice spaces in B.C. by 2020, aiming to bolster the range of services for clients and their families, supporting choice, access and quality of life.
VCH is responsible for the delivery of $3.4 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Tiffany Akins
Communications Leader
Vancouver Coastal Health
Phone: 604-708-5281
Cell: 604-319-7530
Email: tiffany.akins@vch.ca