Paediatric palliative care services exist in all states of Australia and typically have a state-wide and territory remit. Services provide holistic care and support to children with oncological and non-oncological life limiting conditions and their families. Care and support can be provided directly or indirectly through the patient and family's local health teams in collaboration with the specialist paediatric palliative care service in their state.
A collaborative and inter-professional team framework helps guide processes of care as “team members consistently collaborate to solve patient problems that are too complex to be solved by one discipline or many disciplines in sequence.” (Drinka 2000)
Primary care teams and other health professionals involved in the care of children with life limiting conditions can seek direct medical, nursing and allied health support and advice from paediatric palliative care services throughout Australia.
Each service has a unique team membership. Please refer to the different team member options listed below, and contact your local paediatric palliative care service for specific details.
Potential team members
Care is tailored according to the needs of each patient/family with a focus on maintaining quality of life and the paediatric palliative care team may include some or all of the following roles.