'The last 1000 days’ Qld Clinical Senate Recommendations

In September 2025, The Queensland Clinical Senate hosted more than 130 clinicians, consumers and healthcare leaders in person and 95 online to explore how we can better care for patients in their last 1000 days.

The 8 Recommendations and meeting summary notes are now available:

The Senate’s 8 recommendations to Queensland Health

1. Build on current educational resources to provide a statewide program to upskill the workforce in the principles of dignity of risk and end of life conversations in the last 1000 days, tailored for the Queensland context.

2. Advocate for revision of Queensland State legislation to promote national consistency in laws governing end of life care and decision making with emphasis on withdrawal of treatment.

3. Launch a statewide public awareness campaign to promote Advance Care Planning with a focus on the last 1000 days and work with community partners to increase uptake.

4. Support clinicians to enable people to die with dignity by championing early conversations about care in the last 1000 days, avoiding interventions with low benefit and aligning care with what matters most to the person.

5. Enhance rural-regional-metro partnerships through integrated networked service models including expanded specialist outreach and in-reach services to rural and remote areas.

6. Establish a Home‑Based Care Model for the last 1000 days that prioritises safe, culturally responsive care at home by linking regionally based virtual care hubs to virtual wards, rapid equipment loan and supply hubs, carer coaching/support resources, supported by statewide iEMR, telehealth, electronic prescribing and shared digital records, and with clear escalation pathways and a statewide clinical support hotline.

7. Establish multidisciplinary decision support teams in each Hospital and Health Service with access to networked statewide clinical ethics expertise supported by a clear governance framework to help clinicians navigate complex end of life cases confidently and consistently.

8. Strengthen Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) services across Queensland to ensure consistent, equitable, and culturally responsive access, particularly in regional, rural, and remote communities.