The National Palliative Care Project Grants, awarded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, funds projects for the next four years through to 30 June 2030. The aim of these projects is to improve palliative care services, workforce capability, education, research and support for patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses.
Here’s what we know about the projects being funded so far. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
Palliative Care Australia (PCA)
Continued funding will support PCA’s quality, access and awareness work, including national policy and stakeholder engagement, National Palliative Care Week annually, the National Palliative Care Standards and the Palliative Care Self-Assessment (PaCSA) Community of Practice work. This funding also supports the production and distribution of 90,000 resources annually to the sector and the community. The implementation of the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan along with data analysis will be ongoing, as will the HealthInfoNet Palliative Care portal.
University of Wollongong: PCOC+
Building on more than 20 years of the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) and their foundational leadership in palliative care, the program is expanding efforts to encompass earlier identification of palliative care needs and continuing to strengthen outcome measurement.
This enhanced national initiative, PCOC+, will bring together consumers, GPs, specialist palliative care clinicians, Primary Health Networks (PHNs), researchers, policymakers, and digital health experts to advance patient-centered outcomes and address the data gap for systems-wide impact.
‘Australians are living longer with increasingly complex health needs. This investment allows us to work with clinicians, health services, and consumers nationally to strengthen the foundations needed to deliver better palliative care outcomes across the health system.’ – Sabina Clapham, PCOC Director.
Metro South Hospital and Health Service: Advance Care Planning Australia & caring@home
Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) funding continues. This important national program aims to promote and improve advance care planning for all Australians, through education, system improvements and the building and sharing of knowledge through research and evidence.
The caring@home program will also continue to support quality and timely home-based end-of-life care by developing practical resources for clinical services, health professionals and families and carers and providing associated education for health professionals. The caring@home team have confirmed they will continue to work with key stakeholders, including health professionals, to undertake activities that align with the goals of the National Palliative Care Strategy, including:
- Resources for community service providers: Develop new and updated resources to help providers deliver high-quality, timely end-of-life care in the community
- Resources for health professionals: Deliver online and face-to-face education to specialist palliative care and primary care workforces, develop practical resources to support the primary care workforce and develop new apps and update existing apps
- Resources for families and carers: Develop new and updated resources including new culturally appropriate resources for First Nations families
- Evaluation: Engage an external evaluator to assess the effectiveness of project activities
Flinders University: End of Life Essentials
The End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) program is one of three Flinders University programs with continued funding. The EOLE team have confirmed that they will continue to develop education that is practical, relevant, and responsive to the realities of clinical practice. Over the next 4 years, some of the areas of focus will be:
- New education and resources – including short, skills-focused practical learning to support end-of-life care in acute hospitals.
- Easier access – integrating EOLE education into hospital learning systems, making education more accessible for busy health professionals.
- Strengthening general practice – developing nationally consistent, end-of-life care education and resources for general practice.
As part of their funding announcement, new Project Co-Leads were announced: Dr Claudia Virdun and Dr Raechel Damarell
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
PSA has also been announced as a successful recipient of a further 4 years of funding, building on the success of its National Palliative Care Project 2023-2026, which saw the development of the ASPIRE Palliative Care Foundation Training Program and the delivery of 6 service model pilots. From 2026-2030 PSA will partner with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to deliver a range of activities which will see further up-skilling of pharmacists in palliative care, an increasing role for pharmacists in advance care planning, and support for expanded palliative care career pathways for pharmacists.
Other successful recipients with project details to be announced include:
- Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service
- Gather My Crew
- Ngiyani Wandabaa Indigenous Corporation
- Queensland University of Technology
The outcomes of the Palliative Care Capability in Aged Care funding is still unknown.
Palliative Care NSW looks forward to connecting and working collaboratively with the successful recipients as we all strive to improve access to quality palliative care.