The Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project aims to increase access to quality and timely end-of-life care for people who choose to be cared for at home and, if possible, die in their preferred place.
As part of this national initiative, caring@home leads development of education and practical resources to support safe and effective use of essential palliative care medicines from the National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List in community and residential aged care settings.
Activities
Health professionals
- Prescribers: Education for GPs and nurse practitioners to support anticipatory prescribing and symptom management using the core medicines.
- Nurses in community and residential aged care settings: education to support safe administration, monitoring and use of the core medicines.
- Community pharmacists: resources to support identification of people with palliative care needs.
Services
- End-of-life imprest system resources to support timely access to medicines in residential aged care homes.
Carers and families
- Information on the core medicines
Undertake evaluation
- Measure reach, impact and effectiveness of education and resources.
System improvements
- Increase community pharmacies stocking core palliative care medicines.
- Improve awareness of pharmacy availability through Healthdirect listings.
Background
Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project education is supported by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing through the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Commonwealth Funding.
The project is delivered by a national consortium led by Palliative Care Australia, in partnership with caring@home, Ageing Australia and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
Visit the Palliative Care Australia website to learn more about the project.
Consortium members
Ageing Australia is the national peak body representing providers across the aged care sector,
seniors housing, residential care, home care, community care and related services. Ageing Australia represent the majority of service providers and work with them to build a sector where older Australians age with dignity, care and respect. Ageing Australia advocate for a sector that champions excellence, sustainability, and innovation, ensuring our members have the tools, resources, and guidance they need to deliver exceptional services.
caring@home aims to increase access to quality and timely end-of-life care for home-based patients. caring@home develops, implements and evaluates nationally consistent, practical and evidence-based resources and provides associated education to enable quality end-of-life care. These resources support patients to be cared for, and die, in their home if that is their place of choice.
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is the national peak body for palliative care and represents all those who work towards high quality palliative care for all Australians who need it. Working closely with consumers, Member Organisations and the palliative care workforce, PCA aims to improve access to, and promote the need for, palliative care. PCA believes high quality palliative care should be available and accessible to people living with a life-limiting illness when and where they need it. PCA supports the health, aged care and community sector workforce who all have a role in providing palliative care to people with a life-limiting illness and supporting carers and loved ones.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is the national peak body for Australia's 40,000+ pharmacists, bringing together every pharmacist from every sector and connecting them with the resources and professional development needed to succeed. Through proactive advocacy, PSA ensures pharmacy will remain a rewarding and enjoyable career into the future.