New partnership to improve end of life care

Australia’s first fully digital Advance Care Plan (ACP) platform, Touchstone Life Care, has today signed a landmark Partner Agreement with Telstra Health for improving end-of-life quality of care.  

Touchstone Life Care will join Telstra Health’s Smart Marketplace – a single gateway of seamless integration for partners wishing to connect digitally with Telstra Health software and solutions. 

Studies have shown less than seven per cent of Australians have an up-to-date ACP. Where ACPs do exist, they are typically in paper form, unavailable in an emergency or without meaningful instructions for clinicians to enact.  

This often results in doctors prescribing end-of-life care that is not aligned with the patient’s wishes. It can also result in delayed or conflicted care if there is no clear direction for the clinician.  

Touchstone Life Care’s platform reduces these risks, providing a fully digital, cloud-based ACP management system for every state and territory across Australia.1

This partnership will mean Touchstone Life Care’s platform will be accessible as an integrated add-on available to residential facilities already using Telstra Health software and solutions. 

Touchstone Life Care CEO, Dr Merran Cooper, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Telstra Health and provide even greater access to digital Advance Care Plans in Australia.  

“Many people don’t want to think about their end-of-life planning. But avoiding it can cause many complications both for yourself and your family during a very distressing time.  

“Research shows that advance care plans significantly reduce the burden of grief to carers and family members, but they need to be kept up to date, shared ahead of need, and available when required.” 

Dr Cooper said the Touchstone platform specifically addresses a number of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety that relate to digital Advance Care Plans.  

“With the strengthened Aged Care Act, new Standards and an appointed regulator expected to be in place within 12 months, aged care providers will run the risk of being deregistered if they do not comply with Standards for Advance Care Planning. 

“We look forward to being part of Telstra Health’s connected care ecosystem and ensuring that Australians are receiving the right care, at the time they need it most.”  

Telstra Health Chief Health Officer and Enterprise Growth Executive, Dr Monica Trujillo, said: “We are delighted to partner with Touchstone Life Care to support people facing end of life as well as those who support them, such as their families, care providers and clinical teams.

“As the leading provider of software to residential aged care facilities, we are thrilled that our customers can now enjoy the benefits of our seamless and secure data transfer processes. This ensures that accessing new technology, such as Touchstone’s Advance Care Plan platform, is as effortless as possible.

“Our mission is to support the dedicated clinical teams who work tirelessly to provide safe, high-quality care and positive experiences for residents. We are excited to continue delivering digital solutions that not only connect aged care to the health ecosystem but also prioritise the well-being and satisfaction of the people we serve.”  

In Australia, ACPs are relevant to:  

• 4.2 million people aged over 65, along with their families;  

• 1500 providers delivering residential and home-based aged care who are required to demonstrate performance in advance care planning including for shared decision making   and hospital transfers; 

• 360,000 recipients of government supported residential and home care services; and 

• 160,000 Australians who die each year and 160,000 who enter ICU each year, as well as their families, medical decision makers and care providers.