Introduction
The National Palliative Care Program is funded by the Australian Government to improve access to, and quality of, palliative care services in Australia. The Program has been developed within the goals of the National Palliative Care Strategy agreed by the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council in 2000.
The program has funded a variety of initiatives relating to four broad priority areas.
Support for patients, families and carers in the community
Families can experience an enormous burden caring for someone dying at home. Helping communities to provide practical support and measuring knowledge, awareness and understanding can alleviate some of this burden. The following major projects are currently underway or recently concluded:
Increased access to medicines in the community
The use of medicine can help in the management of symptoms and maintaining quality of life. Ensuring access to medicines that achieve this purpose will support palliative care. The following major projects are continuing:
Education, training and support for the workforce
Clinicians and others who care for people who are dying need to be adequately trained and supported in their delivery of palliative care. The following projects are designed to address these needs:
Research and quality improvement for palliative care services
The quality of care relates to an understanding of what works and making this available to the palliative care community. Research will help further improve palliative care services and practice. A series of major activities have begun to develop this area, including:
There are many other projects and activities that have been funded or are being funded as part of the National Palliative Care Program including:
Full activities can be found on the Department of Health and Ageing's program overview page.
This page was created on 1 August 2006
This page was last updated on 21 June 2010