The BNPCC Hub

[From PIP Project]

Justice health, correctional, and palliative care staff are invited to trial a new short, 10 minute, case-based online learning program designed specifically for custodial settings.

Register your teams' interest: pip.project@qut.edu.au

Launching 27 Feb 2026

The Healing Foundation have developed guidance for health and aged care staff on providing support and services to Stolen Generation survivors.

As survivors age, and would benefit from palliative care, it is important services are culturally safe and trauma informed to provide quality care. This information is not palliative care specific but of use to all.

See more:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/resources/working-with-stolen-generations/

[From the Palliative Care Nurses Australia]

We are pleased to announce the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is funding several scholarships to attend the conference in 2026. We encourage applicants from rural and metropolitan areas as well as applicants for online attendance.

Please view the website for details on eligibility, inclusions, and to apply.

Applications Close 30 January 2026

https://pcnaconference.au/scholarships/

The Biennial Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference held at the Adelaide Convention Centre and online, 10 - 12 June 2026

https://pcnaconference.au/

The Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (who run the Palliative Care Equipment Program) have released their education calendar for the next six months.

You can see the printable PDF here: https://myvoice.brisbanenorthphn.org.au/101722/widgets/471415/documents/321589

Or your can see it online: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/mass/education

Metro North Grief and Bereavement Service will be hosting Death Cafes at Brighton Wellness Hub again in 2026. Four dates have been announced.

Places are limited and registration is essential. Registration link:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/death-cafe-tickets-1968913262570?aff=oddtdtcreator

For more information, reach out to Kylie at mn-pallcare-griefbereavement@health.qld.gov.au.

[From Clinical Oncology Society of Australia]

The 'Optimal Care Pathway for older people for cancer' is now available. This will help to ensure older patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

Professor Meera Agar and A/Professor Christopher Steer led the development of the OCP co-chairing and guiding an expert multidisciplinary working group including members of our COSA Geriatric Oncology Group Executive and consumer representatives.

The working group mapped the cancer journey for older adults using the National OCP Framework and the 4Ms framework of Age-Friendly Care: What Matters, Medication, Mentation (Mind and Mood) and Mobility.

In a recorded address, during the opening ceremony of COSA-IPOS 2025, the Federal Health Minister, Mark Butler MP, thanked everyone involved in the OCP development and added that, "All Australians deserve the best care, regardless of their age and circumstances and this pathway sets a benchmark for health services and professionals."

The OCP is comprised of a 158-page booklet and Quick Reference Guide for healthcare providers, and consumer guides in 11 languages available as PDF and audio downloads.

Support for implementation of the OCP will be vital to ensure healthcare providers and consumers can apply the pathway principles in everyday practice to optimise care for older people with cancer.

[From OPG]

We have launched our new refreshed Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) website!

Our new site makes it easier to access information about our role and services, including:

• Future decision-making and advance care planning
• Guardianship and decision-making services
• Investigations into allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation
• Visiting children and young people in care and adults with vulnerabilities
• Advocacy for children and young people

Stay tuned for upcoming 2026 webinars and new digital resources, designed to help you better understand and engage with the important work we do.

To stay informed about our latest news, events, and resources, we encourage you to subscribe to our mailing list.

[From Metro North Health]

The Comfort Care Bundle for the Frail (CCBF) is a specialist palliative/geriatrician consultation service project which is providing an integrated solution to the gap that exists for people in Metro North whom have life limiting illnesses, however their prognosis may be much longer than the usual three-month prognosis considered for community palliative care, palliative outpatients or for SPACE, but they do not want or need acute care or hospital transfers.

The aim of this service is to reduce this burden of unwanted low value care on the Metro North Hospital systems and to ensure that patient and/or carer wishes are documented and respected. These patients can be streamed to more suitable venues for their care including home, palliative care, subacute care, and Residential Aged Care. Community based options for End-of-Life care will be planned for these patients. This service will provide structure and Governance for those already in RACF and those looking to transition into Aged Care for patients who no longer want restorative care. This addresses one of the major gaps perceived by Acute Care clinicians who recognise the subacute needs of their patients but do not have any direct vision of the care provided in Aged Care.

The service will sit beside SPACE under CPC and work in conjunction with those teams and capture those patients for specialist symptom management and advanced care planning who do not yet meet the criteria for CPC, SPACE or Palliative OPD due to their longer prognosis.

Referral pathways:

• QHEPS REFER for internal referrers, Metro North paper referral avail on the Metro North and submitted through the central referral unit
• Ward consultation is available in Metro North Hospital and Health Systems Acute and Non-Acute settings via verbal referral and followed by eREFER.
• RACF consultation available to all RACF’s in the Metro North catchment
• Community home based consultations available
• GP Smart Refer and Refer Your Patient. Just note that referral is for ‘CCBF.

For more:

• See information sheet
• Referrer Flyer

Contact:

Comfort Care Bundle for the Frail Specialist Consultation Service

Community Palliative Care Service

P (07) 30495737 | M: (07) 30491226

E CPC-CCBF@health.qld.gov.au

W metronorth.health.qld.gov.au

A Level 1, 9 Endeavour Boulevard North Lakes Health Precinct North Lakes, QLD, 4509

[From Palliative Care Australia]

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has welcomed new linked data released this week from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), providing a national picture of older people’s access to specialist palliative care.

The AIHW data, based on 132,000 people aged 65 and over who had predictable deaths (from illness) in 2021-22, indicates older people are typically first receiving specialist palliative care just 12 days before they die.

PCA CEO Camilla Rowland said the findings reveal complex patterns across aged care, hospital and community settings, but a very clear story about timing.

“The median time between a first specialist palliative care service and death was just 12 days. We know from the evidence that outcomes are better when people get early access to palliative care – at least 90 days before death,” Ms Rowland said.

“Earlier access to specialist palliative care is associated with reduced hospitalisations, better symptom control and more supported decision making. That gap represents lost time for comfort, planning and connection for older people and their families.”

Given Australia will have a major increase in the 85 plus aged group over the next decade, the need for palliative care will only increase.

The data highlights particular concerns for people living in residential aged care, who are less likely to receive specialist palliative care, and more likely to receive it even closer to death, than people using home care or residential respite care.

“Older people in residential aged care often have complex conditions such as frailty and dementia, and they absolutely stand to benefit from palliative care,” Ms Rowland said. “Yet this data shows they are the least likely to receive specialist palliative care, and when they do, it comes even closer to death. Families want more than a week or two of help at the very end – they want time to understand what is happening, manage symptoms well, and share precious, unhurried moments together.”

The AIHW notes that the report does not capture all palliative care activity in Australia, including some care delivered within residential aged care, in private hospitals, some community-based services and primary care. Even with these limitations, the patterns are striking, including high levels of unplanned hospital and emergency department use in the last year of life.

“The report confirms what many families and clinicians have been feeling for a long time – that palliative care is often introduced as a late response to dying, rather than a supportive approach to care over months,” Ms Rowland said.

Read the full AIHW report: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/palliative-careservices/palliative-care-older-people-aged-care/contents/about

[from Compassionate Communities Australia]

We’re pleased to share a short video that offers a clear, accessible explanation of what Compassionate Communities are, and are not. It aims to gently debunk common myths, strengthen shared understanding, and support more confident conversations across all settings.

We invite you to share this resource with organisations, colleagues, and decision-makers you’re connected with. A shared understanding of the approach helps create a strong foundation for the advocacy statements we developed together at the CCAus Forum, and for the ongoing work of bringing them to life in practice.

You can watch the video explainer here

The Editorial on which the video is based can be found here