Sector news

During National Palliative Care Week, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched a new national training program to equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills, and compassion needed to support people receiving palliative and end-of-life care wherever they are.

The ASPIRE Palliative Care Foundation Training Program for Pharmacists is a free, eight-module CPD-accredited course for pharmacists working in all areas of practice. It is supported by Palliative Care Australia and developed with support from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the National Palliative Care Grants Program.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Palliative Care Association Inc. (NATSIPCA) is a national, community-controlled, not-for-profit, member-based organisation dedicated to advocating and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in accessing Comfort Care on their terms - How, When, and Where they choose. The Comfort Care approach is informed and grounded by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing and are being progressed by NATSIPCA, for end-of-life or Comfort Care Journeys.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released an update to its Palliative Care Services in Australia web report to include the latest data from a range of sources.

2025 marks 30 years of National Palliative Care Week. In 2025, NPCW runs from Sunday 11 May to Saturday 17 May with the theme ‘What’s your plan?” This question is purposeful:

• For individuals and families – it challenges them to think about their own future and quality of life, make informed choices, and decide how they want to be cared for.
• For the health and care sectors – it prompts reflection on capacity, innovation, and readiness to meet growing demand in a community that feels empowered by end of life planning.
• For government – it calls for accountability, opening an opportunity to discuss policy, investment, and strategy, and addressing the future palliative care needs of our community.

The latest life expectancy data from the ABS shows that girls born in 2021-2023 could expect to live to 85.1 years. The AIHW’s Australian Burden of Disease Study measures the impact of diseases and injuries on a population. It combines the years of healthy life lost due to living with ill health (non-fatal burden), with the years of life lost due to dying prematurely.

Caring for someone with a life-limiting illness is a very important role that can be challenging. Caring whilst living in a regional, rural or remote area can bring further challenges. It can be more difficult to find and navigate health care and services and you are often managing both local services and metropolitan services. CarerHelp now has new pages dedicated to all Australians who are ‘Caring in the Country’. The new pages include factsheets about travelling for healthcare, finding local services, and using your community network. CarerHelp has also put together some videos of rural carers who have shared their lived experience and health providers discussing key issues and providing useful advice.