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Sector News

This section will keep you up to date with news in the palliative care sector. Please note that the links below were current at the time of posting, however links may become obsolete as websites update their content.


Improving clinical care for older people

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has developed guidance and resources for the clinical care components of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Latest resources include:

  • Updated national Falls Guidelines to support the reduction of falls and harm from falls
  • Clinical Care Standards adapted for the aged care context including psychotropic medicines in cognitive disability or impairment and antimicrobial stewardship
  • Case studies highlighting examples of: High-quality Aged Care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Safe and Appropriate use of Psychotropic Medicines for residential and in-home care
  • For providers of the Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) Program, the Integrated Health and Aged Care Services Module (IHACS Module) enables a streamlined assessment process against both the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

Note: The IHACS Module replaces the MPS Aged Care Module from 1 November 2025 in line with the implementation of the new Aged Care Act 2024.

Explore all of the Commission’s resources on aged care: safetyandquality.gov.au/AgedCare

Posted: 15/07/2025

National Aged Care Data Asset (NACDA)

The National Aged Care Data Asset (NACDA) brings together de-identified person-level data collected across aged care, health and community service settings for aged care research purposes. Aged care data available in the NACDA consists of over 60 tables covering key Australian government-funded aged care programs and assessments. This includes home support, home care, residential care, flexible care and aged care eligibility assessments, with some data sources spanning 25 years.

Posted: 14/07/2025

Pricing Framework for Australian Support at Home aged care services 2026-27

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) is consulting about the development of their in-home aged care pricing advice. Feedback will inform the pricing advice IHACPA provides to the Australian Government meets the needs of older people and the in-home aged care sector. Submissions are open until 5pm AEST Friday 18 July 2025.

Posted: 10/07/2025

Deferral of the new Aged Care Act 2024

The Australian Government has announced that the implementation of the new Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home program will be deferred from 1 July to 1 November 2025. This delay aims to provide aged care providers with additional time to prepare their clients, support their workers, and ready their systems for the upcoming changes.  

Posted: 3/07/2025

Findings from ACP Australia Advance Care Planning study released

A new report commissioned by Advance Care Planning Australia reveals that only 33% of Australian adults have engaged in any form of advance care planning, with just 6% completing a formal Advance Care Directive. Although most people recognise the benefits of planning ahead, awareness remains low and common barriers include uncertainty about how to begin, perceived irrelevance for younger individuals, and the emotional discomfort of discussing end-of-life care.

Posted: 3/07/2025

New Aged Care Act implementation update

The Australian Government has announced that the new Aged Care Act 2024 will be briefly deferred. The government will recommend to the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, that she proclaim the commencement of the new Act to be to 1 November 2025.

This open letter from Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae MP outlines how the new Aged Care Act brief deferral will impact providers and the sector.

Posted: 4/06/2025

Assessing the value of online palliative care information

This research aimed to assess the value of an online palliative care knowledge resource (CareSearch) and online palliative care information more broadly from the perspective of key stakeholder organisations. A pragmatic, qualitative analytical approach was used to examine the interviews. Five themes emerged: Access, Demographic and cultural milieu, Political, policy and systemic context, Role and utility of CareSearch, and Palliative and end-of-life care research and evidence base (Quality). Interviewees were emphatic that the provision of high-quality, open access online information about palliative care and end-of-life issues was ‘critically important’, particularly in view of the ageing of Australia’s population, consequent future growth in demand for palliative care services, and ongoing health and aged care workforce shortages.
The study was approved by the Flinders University Human Research Ethics Committee (Project ID: 5710)

Posted: 19/05/2025

The WHO Ageism Scale

Ageism is everywhere, widespread, and harmful. To know if we’re making progress in creating #AWorld4AllAges, the World Health Organization has created a reliable tool to measure ageism.

Posted: 12/05/2025

CareSearch Online Survey

CareSearch is currently conducting an online survey to find out how health professionals and the community look for and use online health information including online information about palliative and end of life care.

To help ensure that CareSearch can continue to support those at end of life by providing trustworthy, evidence-based information on palliative care to health professionals and the community, we are seeking feedback on this important online resource and invite you to participate in the survey.  

Participation is anonymous, and the survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. 

To participate, please click on the link. https://qualtrics.flinders.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_9QQqppTohdhjdxY

Posted: 8/05/2025

New Quality Standards Resource Centre supporting sector reforms

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has established a central repository of resources to help extend understanding of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. The Centre brings together hundreds of hand-picked resources from across the sector, chosen by a panel of experts to help build capability among providers, governing bodies, and workers. It will be updated by 1 July 2025 to reflect key changes made to the draft strengthened Standards. Users can search for resources by using keywords, or filtering by Standard, outcome, audience and theme.

Posted: 8/05/2025
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