Medicines in Palliative Care Outpatient Settings – Feedback requested from Palliative Care Specialists 

The Clinical Excellence Commission is reaching out to seek advice on the medicines in Palliative Care outpatient settings as part of their project to expand the NSW Medicines Formulary to include medicines approved for outpatient hospital supply. The medicines included in this review are drawn from available local LHD/SHN outpatient formularies across NSW. For a high-level summary of the project, the medicines included and the review process, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions document by clicking HERE.

Seeking expert feedback from palliative care specialists on preliminary recommendations, as well as specific guidance and expertise on the medicines where additional information is needed.

Please use the link below to view the preliminary medicine recommendations and provide your feedback. We would appreciate responses by Friday 3 July 2026.

https://qars.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/Survey?p=AD030317

Please note:

• Medicines have been grouped by high-level symptoms and broadly ordered according to supporting guidance and availability. This starts with medicines included on the National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List, then Therapeutic Guidelines or other established references (for example, Palliative Care Formulary), followed by refractory or specialist options, and finally medicines not included on ARTG (i.e., SAS medicines). PBS and community pharmacy availability has also been considered in developing these recommendations.
• Where a medicine has a proposed short-term supply limit (for example, up to 7 days), this is intended as bridging supply to support urgent symptom control while ongoing community supply is arranged.
• A recommendation to not add a medicine to the state Formulary will not prevent its local use or access.  Alternative access pathways will remain available including supply via supply via Individual Patient Use approvals through local Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTC) and/or supply via primary care and community pharmacy (such as PBS medicines).
• This feedback process relates only to those medicines with existing approval for outpatient supply in one or more facilities within NSW Health. As such, we are not accepting direct requests from clinicians at this time. Please liaise directly with your local DTC for any new/additional medicines requests.

Feedback will be used to refine the recommendations prior to submission to the Formulary Committee for review and endorsement (anticipated end of July).