National Palliative Care Standards and resource mapping

In Medicines list, policy, guidelines and standards

Palliative Care Australia encourages services to self-assess against the nine National Palliative Care Standards to ensure continuous quality improvement.

By comparing current practice against standards, services can identify what they are doing well and what requires improvement.

caring@home resources, tools, and educational activities support service alignment with the National Palliative Care Standards. Their implementation within your service helps demonstrate that care delivery is safe, effective, and consistent with established benchmarks.

To support quality improvement activities, the table below maps caring@home resources to the National Palliative Care Standards.

	Standard One: Assessment of Needs
Elements Supported	caring@home Resources
1.4, 1.5	Prompts for End-of-Life Planning (PELP) Framework prompts regular reassessment as the person’s needs change through the course of their illness. Resources to support carers and families allow health professionals to record information about whom to contact including after hours.
	Standard Two: Developing the Care Plan
Elements Supported 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.9, 2.10	The Prompts for End-of-Life Planning (PELP) Framework prompts: Person-centred approach Incorporation of cultural, spiritual, physical, psychological and social needs Identification of a substitute decision-maker Completion of advance care planning documents and regular review of goals of treatment plan. Resources to support carers and families provide the up-to-date information to support people providing palliative care at home. Resources to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families including training videos available with Indigenous language voiceovers in 9 commonly spoken First Nations languages. Translated resources available in 9 languages appropriate to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse patients and families. Terminal care planning checklist for nurses in the community identifies actions required to care for a person at home in their final hours, days or week for example identification of processes for certification of death and care and collection of the body after hours.
	Standard Three: Caring for Carers
Elements Supported 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7	Resources to support carers and families can be used as a part of conversations to ascertain the desired level of involvement in care and to empower carers and families to be involved with care provision at a level they are comfortable with. Appendix 2: Assessment of carer preparedness to give subcutaneous medicines checklist – found in the Example policy and procedures document can be used by nursing staff to support clinical decision making when determining a carer’s preparedness and ability to manage breakthrough symptoms safely using subcutaneous medicines. Practical care guides can be used to educate carers and families to safely assist with symptom management and activities of daily living. Knowing when a person is getting closer to dying/Knowing when a person has died resource supports information provision about signs and symptoms of approaching death and steps to take following death.
	Standard Four: Providing Care
Elements Supported 4.3, 4.6	Prompts for End-of-Life Planning (PELP) Framework prompts: anticipatory prescribing to pre-empt symptom control needs referral to specialist palliative care when required. National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List ensures access to palliative medicines to ensure suddenly emerging symptoms can be responded to in a timely manner. Medicines diary supports family carers to regularly review the effectiveness of treatment. caring@home apps and palliMEDS app ensure that clinical practice is informed by new and emerging evidence using advances in digital health and technological innovation for improved patient care.
	Standard Five: Transitions Within and Between Services
Elements Supported 5.1, 5.2, 5.5	Terminal care planning checklist for nurses in the community supports communication between providers and supports capacity of primary care providers to plan for a home death. Appendix 3: Prescriber correspondence letter in Example policy and procedures document supports informing relevant stakeholders of the carer/s’ decision to volunteer to give subcutaneous medicines to help manage breakthrough symptoms. Home care worker resources can be used to build the capability of home care workers to support symptom management and deliver practical care for a person at the end-of-life at home.
	Standard Six: Grief Support
Elements Supported 6.4	Prompts for End-of-Life Planning (PELP) Framework prompts bereavement needs to be considered throughout clinical processes.
	Standard Eight: Quality Improvement
Elements Supported 8.1	Audit tool: End-of-Life Planning supports quality improvement in caring for patients likely to be in their last year of life.
	Standard Nine: Staff Qualifications and Training
Elements Supported 9.5	Education options for health professionals include: Online education modules Education support for nurses GP CPD activities Online education webinar.

Last updated: July 2026