Australians who need palliative care will benefit from enhanced workforce education and training and improved quality through Albanese Government funding totalling more than $68 million.
Universities, health services and palliative care organisations around the country will share in $53 million to undertake 14 National Palliative Care Projects.
The projects focus on:
- improving palliative care education and training for the primary care, acute care and aged care workforces
- raising awareness of palliative care and advance care planning
- quality improvement for care providers
- increasing palliative care support in rural and regional areas
- encouraging the uptake of advance care planning.
This will improve the quality of palliative care in Australia, benefiting people with life-limiting illnesses and their families, no matter their cultural background, where they live, or what setting they wish to access palliative care in.
A further $15.9 million is for the national End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) service to improve the palliative care skills and advance care planning expertise of aged care providers and GPs caring for older Australians.
Alongside this new funding, initiatives funded in the recent Budget will help improve access to palliative care, including better access to care and medications through a stronger Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, growing the care workforce, and generational reforms in aged care.
The Government's funding announcement coincides with the end of National Palliative Care Week - which seeks to inspire conversations about 'Matters of Life and Death' and build awareness and recognition of the people at the heart of quality palliative care.
See a list of all Palliative Care Projects and End of Life Directions for Aged Care Funding.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that people affected by a life-limiting illness will get the care they need to live well.
"Our role is to provide national leadership, education and policy in palliative care.
"This commitment is guided by the overall vision of the National Palliative Care Strategy - and all the projects we are funding are linked to implementing its goals."
