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Yet, timely access to essential palliative medicines in community settings remains a persistent challenge, particularly for older Australians living at home or in residential aged care.

The Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project aims to change that. Delivered over 30 months (July 2025–December 2027), the project is led by Palliative Care Australia in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Ageing Australia and caring@home, with funding from the Australian Government. Together, the consortium is working to ensure older Australians in community and residential aged care settings receive safe, timely and effective symptom management at the end of life.

A cornerstone of the project is the National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List, launched in July 2024. This concise list identifies four essential medicines for home-based palliative patients in the terminal phase who require urgent symptom relief. Most terminal symptoms in uncomplicated palliative care patients can be managed using medicines from the list, making it a practical tool for clinicians and carers alike.

Despite these advances, significant access and equity challenges remain. Many older patients are unable to remain at home due to inconsistent availability of medicines, leaving health professionals navigating ethical dilemmas and carers struggling to provide adequate support. The project addresses this gap by enhancing the confidence and capability of health professionals including pharmacists, nurses and aged care staff through targeted education, training modules, webinars and practical resources.

Chief Executive Officer of Palliative Care Australia Camilla Rowland says, “Access to quality palliative care should never depend on where a person lives or their ability to navigate complex systems. For many older Australians, their preference is to remain at home in comfort and dignity, yet barriers to timely access to essential medicines too often make that impossible.

“The Quality Use of Community Palliative Care Medicines Project represents a practical and compassionate step forward. As we improve access to medicines, train health professionals and support carers, we are also building a more consistent and equitable approach to end-of-life care that honours people’s values, eases suffering and upholds dignity.”

The key aims of the project are to boost the skills and confidence of health professionals working in community and aged care settings, promote medicine safety, reduce avoidable hospitalisations and support patients to remain at home while receiving high-quality end-of-life care.

Success will be measured by widespread engagement with educational resources and meaningful involvement from both professionals and consumers. Through the project, we hope to see 1,000 pharmacists, 2,000 prescribing health professionals and 600 nurses accessing targeted education alongside 5,000 downloads of consumer resources. Consumer involvement, including lived experience insights, will ensure communication, education and practical tools are aligned with patient and carer needs.

The aged care sector already delivers palliative care in the community, and we believe this project will provide better support for this important role. By embedding consistent guidance, anticipatory prescribing and practical tools, the project will empower aged care providers to deliver care that respects patients’ preferences while maintaining safety and quality.

This initiative is about more than just medicines, it’s about building palliative care confidence and supporting carers. Smooth transitions between hospitals, community care and residential aged care homes, supported by timely consultations with palliative care teams and pharmacies, will reduce stress for older Australians and their families. Ultimately, this will enable older Australians to spend their final days in the comfort of home, with dignity and quality care.