Sector news

The report, Palliative care services in Australia, shows that palliative care continues to play a critical role in supporting people with life‑limiting illness, particularly older Australians, with activity increasing in hospitals, outpatient settings and Medicare‑subsidised services.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), in partnership with the University of Queensland, is developing a needs-based pharmacy workforce model to assess workforce requirements across key areas to support equitable access to pharmacy services across Australia. Pharmacy professionals can contribute their insights and real-world experiences to ensure the model reflects the needs of the profession. The public consultation closes 31 May 2026 and can be accessed via: PSA - National Pharmacy Workforce Analysis

NHMRC and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) have released the new joint Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research. The new Statement replaces the 2016 version and reflects NHMRC and CHF’s commitment to embedding consumer and community involvement in all health and medical research.

The Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care has identified Priorities for high-quality digitally enabled care as a roadmap to strengthen care in an evolving digital health environment. The Commission's four Priorities will help to:

• Embed digitally enabled care in clinical governance
• Strengthen virtual care quality
• Advance connected care through standardised data
• Lead system-wide quality improvement in digitally enabled care.

Advance Care Planning Australia has released a new resource, the Supporting advance care planning in general practice factsheet, designed to support GPs and practice teams to confidently integrate advance care planning (ACP) into everyday primary care.

Palliative Care Australia has announced the appointment of Dr Chris Hatherly as the organisation’s new Chief Executive Officer. Dr Hatherly will commence with PCA on 8 July 2026. Simon Waring will continue as Interim CEO during this transition.