Palliative Care Australia has five nationally-agreed and endorsed position statements.  

Ensuring quality and safety of end-of-life care
Services provided to people at the end of life have been developed according to a wide range of funding, governance, organisational and operational models. The impact of these diverse approaches to service and health care delivery on patient experience and outcomes are not well known or understood.

Ensuring quality and safety of end-of-life care

Advance care planning 
Advance care planning is a process to help people formulate and communicate their preferences regarding care during future incapacity. Advance care planning gives the person the opportunity to determine the likely scenarios coming towards the end of their life, including the treatment they receive and the way they would like to be cared for.

Advance care planning position statement

Carers and end of life 
There are close to 2.6 million carers and nearly 500,000 primary carers in Australia, providing close to 1.2 billion hours of care annually. Estimates suggest carers provide 76% of all services to people needing care and support.

Carers and end of life position statement

Primary health care and end of life 
The capacity of the health system to provide access to quality care at the end of life for all who may require it is questionable. As the Australian population continues to age and an increasing number of Australians live out the final stages of their lives with chronic, complex conditions, both the total population and the proportion of the Australian population requiring end of life care annually, is expected to increase. The role of primary health care providers and services is vital in providing quality care at the end of life.

Primary health care and end of life position statement

Residential aged care and end of life 
The significance of our ageing population to aged care, and to the demand on such services for the end-of-life, is substantial and will increase with the expected rise in the proportion of the population aged over 65 years. Residential aged care facilities are increasingly the place of death for people with terminal conditions, unless residents are transferred to acute care facilities.

Residential aged care and end of life position statement

Voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide 
Euthanasia is not a part of palliative care practice. Informed discussion about voluntary euthanasia is hindered by our failure as a society to guarantee access to quality care at the end of life in which people’s rights to articulate the terms of their care are respected. It is also hindered by limited community capacity to engage in frank and open discussion about dying and death.

Voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide position statement

Palliative care and culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Palliative Care Australia believes quality care at the end of life is realised when it is individualised to meet the person’s needs and upholds their preferences which are based on many factors, including individual cultural beliefs.

Palliative care and culturally and linguistically diverse communities position statement

Interim position statement for comment
Palliative Care Australia is seeking comment on the following position statement. Comment should be sent to the National Policy Director, Bruce Shaw at bruce@palliativecare.org.au.

Improving access to quality care at the end of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians