The BNPCC Hub

[From Karuna]

We would like to share the sad news that Venerable Tsultrim will be leaving Karuna, with her final day being Wednesday 15 April.

Over the past almost six and a half years, Tsultrim has supported hundreds of patients, carers and family members during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

She has led and delivered countless community workshops and has provided guidance and support to many community organisations and hospitals working in the palliative and end of life sectors. Tsultrim also led our ‘What About Death!?’ podcast to help build death literacy in the broader community.

As Karuna’s designated SPC (Spiritual Program Co-ordinator) through our affiliation with FPMT, Tsultrim has represented Karuna both locally and internationally. As a Buddhist nun, she has also been a guiding force for Karuna as a Buddhist based organisation.

Although Tsultrim will be leaving Karuna, we remain committed to maintaining strong connections to our Buddhist foundations through FPMT and FPMT Australia, Venerable Gonpo our Spiritual Care Practitioner, and our connections to our fellow FPMT organisations across Australia.

At Karuna, Tsultrim has shaped the way many of us approach our work, particularly in how we hold compassion, reflection and care at the centre of everything we do. Externally, she has been a trusted and deeply respected figure for patients, families, carers, community partners and stakeholders, many of whom have come to associate Karuna with the warmth, safety and insight she consistently brought to her work.

On behalf of everyone, we would like to sincerely thank Tsultrim for her years of dedication and the profound impact she has had on our community and our organisation.

This full-day retreat is designed specifically for health professionals and will be held on Sunday 24 May, 9:00am–5:00pm at Kondalilla Falls Eco Resort in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Program Overview

This professional development day is designed for health professionals and focuses on clinician wellbeing, emotional resilience, reflective practice, and the gut–brain axis.

The program integrates evidence-informed educational sessions with facilitated reflective practice and supervised experiential learning. It aims to support sustainable clinical practice, particularly for clinicians working in complex and emotionally demanding environments.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Recognise factors contributing to clinician stress and emotional regulation
• Identify practical strategies to support resilience and self-regulation in clinical practice
• Describe key concepts relating to the gut–brain axis and microbiome
• Understand the physiological principles, potential benefits, limitations, and contraindications of breathwork
• Engage in reflective practice to support professional sustainability and self-awareness

Identify practical strategies applicable to personal wellbeing and professional contexts

Investment: $300

You’ll step away from the pace of everyday life into a peaceful bush setting and reconnect with yourself and like-minded colleagues.

The day includes:

• Strategies for managing stress, with a focus on emotional resilience and regulation – with Wellness Coach Dean King
• Reflective practice – with Tsultrim - Buddhist Nun
• A practical session on gut health and the microbiome – with Dietitian Lydia Sutakowsky
• Guided breathwork – with Breathwork Coach Dane Whakataka
• Nourishing food and time to connect

Spaces are limited- to book go to www.nourishedclinician.com

[From PCQ]

Join us on Wednesday 15 April 2026, for our education webinar titled “Caring Together: Why Language and Culture Matter in Paediatric Palliative Care”.

The webinar will feature guest speakers Yody Espitia Buritica, Clinical Nurse Consultant at Hummingbird House and Alessia Aielli, Project Officer at Palliative Care Australia who will share the importance of Language and Culture in Paediatric Palliative Care. They will discuss why it is important to be curious and open when engaging with different communities, and why it matters to work with and alongside families from non-English speaking backgrounds. They will also introduce Caring Together booklet as evidence of what culturally responsive care can look like in practice.

We believe that palliative care is everybody’s business, and we aim to build compassionate communities around people and their families experiencing serious illness, dying, death and grief. This webinar is designed for all members of the community including both health and non-health related workers (i.e., healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, social workers, allied health staff, health administrative staff, spiritual care workers, health managers, health educators, pharmacists and paramedics). We also encourage people from diverse backgrounds to attend.

DATE: WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL 2026

TIME: TIME – 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM (AEST)

REGISTER: https://events.humanitix.com/pcqwebinarapr2026

FREE for PCQ members, PCQ Volunteers, QAS Paramedics

$10 General Admission

$8 Concession Card Holders

These webinars are sponsored by Queensland Health, and supported by Queensland Ambulance Services

Any questions please email us to hello@palliativecareqld.org.au or call us on 07 3842 3242.

BNPCC members are requested to help in shape the Palliative Connect- Aged Care event on 2 June.

Palliative Connect are events hosted by the BNPCC that are open to all people living and/or working in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region who would like to engage, learn, and share to improve palliative care. It is an opportunity for the BNPCC to share its knowledge and engage with others outside of the membership on topics of interest.

The Palliative Connect in June has an Aged Care Theme.

This event will be 2 hours in duration and consist of:

• Didactic presentation/s (~40min)
• Group activity and discussion (~40min)
• Unstructured networking (~40min)

This 4 question survey asks for your help in shaping the program.

Complete it here: https://myvoice.brisbanenorthphn.org.au/embeds/projects/101722/survey-tools/123097

The survey will close COB 8 April 2026

[From CarerHelp]

We, at CarerHelp, are delighted to share our new ‘Caring in Aged Care Homes’ resources that assist families to consider and plan for transition to an aged care home. We understand that this can be a very challenging and emotional decision for families to make. Our new resources include lots of useful suggestions to help family carers navigate this very difficult decision and transition. Topics include:

• Is it time to consider an aged care home?
• Transitioning to an aged care home
• Questions to ask to ensure quality end of life car in an aged care home

Have a look at the new resources on the Aged Care Home webpage including videos of people sharing their experiences and tips.

ACCESS THE RESOURCES HERE

We know that this is a challenging decision facing many families who are caring for someone with a life-limiting illness. Families need clear information to:

• Dispel misconceptions about care in an aged care home
• Improve understanding about how palliative care and end of life care are provided in an aged care home
• Know which factors are important in making the decision to transition to an aged care home
• Ask the right questions when choosing an aged care home

CarerHelp (www.carerhelp.com.au) is a website that can help prepare families to care for someone at the end of life. There are factsheets, videos and useful templates that will help provide the right information to families at the right time. All the resources are freely available online but can also be printed off to give to families by health professionals.

Contact us: CarerHelp are always excited to receive feedback so let us know what you think by emailing carerhelp@svha.org.au.

[From QPCCN]

Seeking research participants to inform the development of a palliative care audit tool for aged care: A consensus study – Apply here

Amy Hutchison (PhD Candidate) is looking to recruit people with expertise or lived experience in palliative care and aged care in aged care settings. Consumers will be remunerated.

Please read the attached recruitment flyer and participant information sheet. Please contact Amy directly for more information: amy.hutchison@hdr.qut.edu.au.

Karuna are currently recruiting for two positions:

• Palliative Medicine Physician / Specialist Doctor: https://www.seek.com.au/job/90833859
• Nurse Practitioner: https://www.seek.com.au/job/90959901

Please share with contacts as appropriate.

[From CareSearch]

The CareSearch Project Team has started a project to reconceive and deliver the digital platform for the CareSearch website. This is not a website rebranding or rebuild but something more fundamental. We are looking at how changes in the digital ecosystem can help us create a platform on which we build our websites that will provide the type of functions and applications that can better meet the needs of our users. For many years we have been trying to maximise the functions of our existing system while recognising that the technical environment in which we are operating is rapidly changing.

Over the coming months, we will be quietly examining and developing the framework for our system that will enable us to move confidently into the future. Central to our work will be security and effective functionalities, applications that make it easier for visitors too find and use evidence that helps in decision making and care delivery, and data systems that can help us better understand how people seek, find and engage with knowledge.

While we are doing this work, nothing will change for users. Our current website will continue to provide access to trustworthy information, evidence resources, health professional specific resources and tools and education and learning opportunities. In the next few months, we may be asking for our website users to be involved in testing new functions and applications. We are excited to be working with our users, our industry partners, and our project partners to map how palliative care knowledge and the digital environment can help us meet the needs of our community and our sector.

(https://www.caresearch.com.au/About-Us/Newsroom/Palliative-Perspectives/Palliative-Perspectives-Blog-Details/ArtMID/17907/ArticleID/6475/Preparing-for-the-future-Starting-a-platform-redevelopment-project)

[From PallConsult]

Background

Across Queensland Health the process of verifying that a person has died (“life extinct”) is currently documented using locally developed forms and processes. While these generally capture similar information, there is variation in format, terminology and documentation requirements across facilities and services.

This variation can create challenges for clinicians working across different care settings and may lead to inconsistent documentation of death verification.

Purpose

A standardised statewide Life Extinct Verification form supports consistent documentation when verifying death across settings.

The intent of the statewide form is for it to be:

• clinically practical for time-sensitive situations
• consistent across care settings
• aligned with Queensland Health policies and procedures
• supportive of coronial and administrative processes and requirements.

Scope of the Form

The form is intended to support clinicians when verifying that life is extinct, particularly in situations where:

• a doctor is not immediately present
• verification is undertaken by an authorised clinician (e.g. nurse practitioner, nurse, paramedic)
• documentation is required prior to completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

Please note that the form does not replace the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death but rather documents the clinical verification of death.

Consultation Purpose

Feedback is sought to ensure the form:

• captures the essential elements of death verification
• is clear and easy for clinicians to complete
• is appropriate for use across all care settings.

Areas Where Feedback is Requested

Members are invited to comment on:

• clinical completeness of the fields
• clarity of instructions and terminology
• consideration for any additional fields that should be included.

Please note that areas highlighted in the draft are being updated to reflect current acts and regulatory requirements.

See the Draft Form Here

Feedback requested to be emailed to Pallconsult@health.qld.gov.au by COB Monday 23 March 2026 with the subject line: Life Extinct Verification Form feedback. The team is most grateful for your review and valuable insights.

[From MNHHS]

Survey out now until the end of March looking for your experience with Julian's Key Health Passport.

Sharing your experience with Julian’s Key will help us to better understand what matters most to persons with disability, their carers and support teams when engaging with health care providers, in addition to enabling Queensland Health staff and disability service providers to share their insights and feedback.

Short survey here

Learn more about Julian's Key Health Passport here