The grants will support initiatives aimed at improving palliative care services across Australia, with a focus on workforce capability, education, research, service quality, and support for people living with life-limiting illness, as well as their families and carers.

Several organisations have already confirmed their funded projects, with further details expected to be announced in the coming months.

Palliative Care Australia (PCA)

Palliative Care Australia will continue its national leadership role through funding that supports quality improvement, access and awareness initiatives across the sector.

Activities include ongoing work in policy and stakeholder engagement, National Palliative Care Week, the National Palliative Care Standards, and the Palliative Care Self-Assessment (PaCSA) Community of Practice. Funding will also support the production and distribution of resources for both the sector and the wider community, implementation of the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan, and maintenance of the HealthInfoNet Palliative Care portal.

University of Wollongong: PCOC+

The University of Wollongong has secured funding to expand the long-standing Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) through the new PCOC+ initiative.

Building on more than two decades of leadership in palliative care outcomes measurement, PCOC+ will focus on earlier identification of palliative care needs and strengthening outcome measurement across the health system. The initiative will bring together consumers, general practitioners, specialist clinicians, Primary Health Networks, researchers, policymakers and digital health experts to improve patient-centred outcomes and address important data gaps.

Metro South Hospital and Health Service

Funding has been confirmed for both Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) and caring@home.

ACPA will continue its national work to support and improve advance care planning through education, research, knowledge sharing and system improvements.

The caring@home program will continue supporting quality home-based end-of-life care through the development of practical resources and education for health professionals, families and carers. Planned activities include updated resources for community providers and primary care professionals, culturally appropriate resources for First Nations families, and program evaluation.

Flinders University: End-of-Life Essentials

Flinders University’s End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) program has also received continued funding.

Over the next four years, EOLE will focus on developing practical, skills-based education and resources for health professionals, improving access to learning through integration with hospital education systems, and strengthening nationally consistent end-of-life care education in general practice settings.

Flinders University has also announced Dr Claudia Virdun and Dr Raechel Damarell as the program’s new Project Co-Leads.

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has received further funding to build on the success of its National Palliative Care Project delivered between 2023 and 2026.

The next phase of work will focus on enhancing pharmacists’ skills in palliative care, increasing pharmacist involvement in advance care planning, and supporting expanded career pathways in palliative care pharmacy practice.

Further Announcements Expected

Additional successful recipients have been announced, with project details yet to be released. These include:

• Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service
• Gather My Crew
• Ngiyani Wandabaa Indigenous Corporation
• Queensland University of Technology

The outcome of the Palliative Care Capability in Aged Care funding program has not yet been announced.

These projects represent a significant investment in strengthening palliative care services, education, research and workforce capability across Australia. Further project details are expected to be released as implementation planning progresses in the coming months.