Cancer Council NSW - Policy and Advocacy: “I Care For Palliative Care” Campaign to Increase Government Investment in Specialist Palliative Care Services
Background and context: I Care for Palliative Care Campaign was developed and delivered by the Cancer Council NSW between November 2015 and July 2017. This advocacy campaign was developed in recognition of the fact that the state had fewer palliative physicians and palliative care nurses than were needed to meet the palliative care demands of the NSW community. This meant that some people with life-limiting cancer were being denied quality of life and were unable to die in the place of their choosing. Moreover, Aboriginal people remained disadvantaged by limited access to specialist palliative care that fits with their community values, beliefs, rituals, heritage and place. Aim: The primary aim of the campaign was to secure additional funding from the NSW Government for an additional 10 FTE palliative physician positions; an extra 129 FTE palliative care nurse positions; and provision of culturally-appropriate specialist palliative care services to Aboriginal people. Strategy/Tactics: Various tactics were used, including collection and sharing of engaging community stories via media and online channels, mobilizing community support via training and events, and targeted engagement of key decision-makers and members of parliament (MPs), which took into consideration marginal electorates, personal experiences with cancer, and geography, noting the issue disproportionally impacts regional and rural communities. An online and offline “pledge” activity was also used, providing both the public and MPs with an opportunity to support the campaign. Program/Policy process: Meetings, the pledge activity, collection and presentation of stories and community-events were all incorporated into a program of activities over the campaign period to engage decision-makers and ultimately influence the policy-making process. Outcomes: An independent qualitative evaluation confirmed that the campaign was undoubtedly a success. It noted that the campaign created an environment in which the NSW government made a historic decision to provide an additional $100 million in funding for palliative care services over four years. Without the campaign, palliative care could well have lost out to other healthcare and government spending priorities. What was learned: The campaign confirmed the power of personal stories as an effective campaign tactic to influence decision-makers. Empowering volunteers to generate local media coverage also resulted in significantly greater coverage for the campaign. The “pledge” activity for MPs was also an effective tactic that brought together the issue, the politician and our brand. Aspects to be improved include simplifying our policy ask, evaluating the resources we invest in key decision makers versus less influential MPs, and assessing how we better integrate political context and political experts into our campaign planning and governance.
