National Palliative Care Week 11 – 17 May 2025

For thirty years, National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) has sparked discussions, increased awareness, and advocated for improved access to and acceptance of palliative care.  

The theme ‘What’s your plan?” challenges and inspires different groups:  

For individuals and families – it challenges them to think about their own future and quality of life, make informed choices, and decide how they want to be cared for. 

For the health and care sectors – it prompts reflection on capacity, innovation, and readiness to meet growing demand in a community that feels empowered by end-of-life planning. 

For government – it calls for accountability, opening an opportunity to discuss policy, investment, and strategy, and addressing the future palliative care needs of our community. 

This year’s theme encourages Australians and their families to engage in conversations about what is most important at end of life and to create a plan that honours and supports their choices in the final years, months, and days of life. 

Talking to your patients about death and dying can be challenging, but end-of-life planning and palliative care are important aspects of care.   

Health professionals play an important role in advance care planning. As part of your regular assessment, treatment and review of patients in your care, you can get to know what’s important to them, what they worry about, and their preferences for health care. 

The Advance Project has free, practical, evidence-based resources and CPD training to support people working in general practice with advanced care planning and palliative care in everyday practice and care provision.  

This includes supports and training for:  

• Tools for talking about and supporting advance care planning  
• Tools for identifying patients who might be at risk of deteriorating and dying 
• Tools for screening and evaluating palliative and supportive care needs 
• MBS item support resource   
• Dementia specific support tools 
• Patient and Clinical resources 

Access free resources and training at The Advance Project.   

HealthPathways SA is a free online portal that allows health professionals to access the latest evidence-based assessment, management and referral options in South Australia. ​​  

Pathways aid as a clinical decision-making tool while referral pages assist health professionals identify and navigate local resources and support services.  

Clinical Pathways:  

• Palliative Care Patient  
• Emergencies in Palliative Care  
• Pain Medications in Palliative Care  
• Symptom Management in Palliative Care    
• Last Days of Life  
• Advance Care Planning (ACP)  
• Voluntary Assisted Dying  
• Certification of Death  
• Carer Health  

plus many more…  

Referral pages available:  

• Palliative Care Assessment  
• Palliative Care Advice  
• Palliative Care Support  

Register and start exploring the suite of Palliative Care pathways today. To access the site and find out more click here  

HealthPathways SA is a partnership between SA Health, Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN