VOLUNTEERS FOR PALLIATIVE CARE, MAITLAND

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads)—Since 1990, Volunteers for Palliative Care have offered free support for end-of-life care patients in Maitland. It is more than just a transport service, volunteers not only get a patient to their appointment, but will also sit and wait with them too. It is this care and dedication that sets Maitland's Volunteers for Palliative Care apart from the rest. The group's volunteers offer companionship, respite for carers, can record life stories like letters and memoirs, transport patients to appointments and connect to other services. Volunteers for Palliative Care takes the time to match their volunteers to the patient, to ensure they are more than just a service provider and more a companion. The organisation is always on the lookout for new volunteers to be able to support patients in the Maitland area. Their volunteer numbers took a hit with COVID and the group are working hard to get back to pre-COVID numbers. I commend the Volunteers of Palliative Care Maitland for their dedication and care to members of the Maitland community.