Sector news

The maximum Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) co-payment for prescription medicines has been reduced by 20% for everyone with a Medicare card.

From 1 January, patients now pay no more than $25 per PBS prescription, previously $31.60.  For concession cardholders, the maximum co-payment remains $7.70 until 2030. These changes build on other recent measures to make medicines cheaper, including 60-day prescriptions which allow patients to get twice the medicine on a single prescription. 

The HELP App enables anyone to coordinate practical and social support tasks, such as meal preparation, transportation, and household assistance by facilitating communication and shared responsibilities among a person’s support network (family, friends, neighbours, etc.).

Training

 This short, self-paced online course provides practical tools for prescribing and recommending people to use the HELP app.

Participants will learn how the HELP app can support people living with a life-limiting illness and their carers to ask and receive the practical help that will make a difference to them.

• Free* and flexible - learn at your own pace
• Designed for health professionals, aged care workers, and community staff
• Certificate of completion included
• Optional live Q&A with the HELP Team

*Free for South Australian health and community professionals and volunteers for the rest of 2025

This new Hub supports consumer and community involvement in health and medical research and healthcare improvement. It offers access to practical, high-quality resources and tools for researchers, consumers, community members and healthcare professionals.

RePaDD hosted a national roundtable exploring how the aged care sector can better support people with palliative and end-of-life care needs during a period of significant reform. This summary resource outlines key themes and priorities identified through those discussions, including the need to build workforce capability, recognise the vital role of allied health, support older people to live and die at home where possible, and strengthen coordination between primary, acute, and aged care

The Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD) works to make a positive difference to the care of persons in palliative care and at the end of life. This downloadable 2-page summary shares insights from a national roundtable hosted by RePaDD that explored what unpaid carers need when end-of-life and palliative care are part of caring (496kb pdf).

Palliative Care Australia has launched a new tool developed to support health professionals in identifying the right time to refer children, young people, and their families to paediatric palliative care. Paediatric palliative care works best when introduced at the earliest appropriate time and alongside existing care. Timely referral allows children, young people, and their families to access vital support throughout their care journey.