Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project

Supporting Quality End of Life Care at Home

About the project

The Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project is a national initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of nurses to support individuals who choose to receive palliative care — and ultimately die — at home.

Through tailored education, practical tools, and improved access to essential medicines, the project aims to ensure people nearing the end of life can receive safe, effective, and compassionate care in the setting of their choice.

Why This Matters

Most Australians would prefer to die at home, yet many lack access to the right support and medications to make this possible. Nurses play a vital role in community-based palliative care, but they need the right knowledge, resources and systems in place to do this confidently and safely.

This project will help address that gap.

A collaborative approach

Funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing as part of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program, the project is being delivered by a national consortium led by:

• Palliative Care Australia (PCA)
• caring@home
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
• Ageing Australia

Each partner brings deep expertise in palliative care, medicines safety, and aged care to ensure the project is comprehensive, practical and fit for purpose.

Current phase: consultation

Ageing Australia is currently leading a national consultation process, engaging with frontline nurses, aged care providers, palliative care teams and other key stakeholders across the sector.

This phase is critical to:

• Identify existing knowledge and practice gaps
• Understand barriers to medicine access and usage
• Gather insights from those delivering care on the ground

By grounding the project in real-world experience, we ensure the final education and resource package meets the actual needs of nurses and the communities they support.

What’s next

Insights gathered during the consultation phase will shape the development of:

• A tailored education and training package for nurses
• Practical, evidence-based resources to support safe use of palliative care medicines at home
• System-level recommendations to improve access and continuity of care

Together, we’re working to make high-quality, home-based palliative care more accessible — and to empower the nurses who make it possible.

For more information or to get involved in the consultation, please contact us.

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Partners