Voluntary Assisted Dying Liaison Officer and Advance Care Planning Clinician

Alfred Health

Alfred Health is a leader in health care delivery, improvement, research and education. We are the main provider of health services to people living in the inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne, from ambulatory to inpatient and home and community-based services.

• Permanent position
• Part time (48 hours per fortnight), working across 3 days of the week
• Clinical Nurse Consultant A (ZF4) / Grade 3 Allied Health Professional 
• Located at Caulfield Hospital, with frequent visits to other Alfred Health campuses or community through home visits 
• Occasional phone oncall required (office hours only) to support VAD service across the week
• Primarily Voluntary Assisted Dying Liaison Officer role focused but with additional responsibilities within Advance Care Planning
• Great staff benefits!

The Department

Providing responsive and sustainable care, the Voluntary Assisted Dying and Advance Care Planning (ACP) team at Alfred Health promotes every person's right to autonomy, dignity and respect through informed consent and shared decision making in relation to their current and future healthcare treatment. The program supports:

• Individuals through a process of planning for future health care through Advanced Care Planning - Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016
• Improving End of Life Care - National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
• Individual’s wishing to access the Voluntary Assisted Dying - Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017

The Role

Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD)

The Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Liaison Officer (VAD LO) plays a pivotal role in ensuring a compassionate, coordinated, and legally compliant response to all patient VAD requests within the Alfred Health catchment area. Collaborating closely with the VAD Statewide Care Navigators and other healthcare professionals, the VAD LO manages all aspects of the VAD process, from initial referral to permit issuance. They engage with patients and families to provide comprehensive information and address concerns, liaise with medical staff for patient assessments, ensure compliance with Alfred Health policies and legislation, provide education and support to clinical staff, and maintain accurate, confidential records of all VAD-related activities.

Advanced Care Planning

The Alfred Health ACP Program is resourced with clinicians and administration support that provides an inpatient and outpatient facing service for anyone living in the Alfred Health catchment to assist them through the ACP process. The education and training part of ACP is focused on increasing awareness of ACP amongst staff and consumers, on how to support with planning for future healthcare decisions and how to recognise and respect ACP documents in the clinical setting.  Consumer information sessions are also held to enable members of the community to understand ACP and how it might support them and their families. 

The role will work across and support the following:

• Be responsible for responding to voluntary assisted dying referrals as guided by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act (2017) and the Alfred Health Voluntary Assisted Dying Guideline
• True engagement with all stakeholders in relation to the Alfred Health VAD service and be fully flexible and self-led in your endeavours
• In partnership with VAD Statewide Navigators, act as a key leader in driving the Alfred Health VAD service forward including being independent with a current workplan, projects and service improvement initiatives 
• Work with the other ACP team members to support a high-quality ACP service to inpatients and outpatients referred to the ACP program
• In both the VAD and ACP space, support clinical staff with their patients through providing training and mentoring to enable discussions to occur
• Be responsible for assisting patients with future health discussions and have a working knowledge of completing ACP documentation
• Be expected to work across all Alfred Health sites including within the community (home visits) and other partnership sites such as Palliative Care Units 

Qualifications and Experience Required

Essential       

• Experienced senior clinician with tertiary qualification in relevant discipline, meets registration requirements with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for registered professions
• Demonstrated understanding of clinical governance and patient-centred care
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, and highly motivated to drive the success and development of the VAD and ACP service 
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with key stakeholders, and foster teamwork and collaboration across the disciplines and externally as required 
• Be a self starter in improvement capability and forward planning particularly with the broader picture
• Reliable and highly organised             

Desirable

• Experienced in palliative care, end-of-life care, Advance Care Planning, and/or Voluntary Assisted Dying
• A sound understanding of information technology including clinical systems and applications relevant to quality and risk management reporting or as required for the role and/or department
• Previous demonstrated end to end quality improvement experience with complex projects that impact on multiple departments and stakeholders
• Previous demonstrated experience in research

Staff Benefits

• Salary packaging & novated leasing through Maxxia
• Flexible health insurance coverage through HCF Health Insurance
• Onsite car parking opportunities deducted pre-tax!!
• Fantastic onsite fitness facilities at The Alfred through ProSport health and fitness
• Childcare services at The Alfred managed by KU Children’s Services

For enquiries regarding this position, please contact Tania Hobbs, Manager Advance Care Planning Program during business hours on 0400 210 803 or [email protected]

Applications close 11pm AEDT, Sunday 13th April 2025.

Alfred Health is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce that reflects the community we serve.  Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are encouraged.

In accordance with the Health Services Amendment (Mandatory Vaccination of Healthcare Workers) Act 2020, health care workers in Category A or B roles (as determined by the department’s risk ratings) are required to be vaccinated against influenza or hold an acceptable medical exemption. 

Website: www.alfredhealth.org.au