End-of-life
Care
End-of-life
Care

End-of-life care

End-of-life care is the last of seven steps of the cancer continuum as set out in the Optimal Care Pathways.

This step focuses on maintaining a patient’s quality of life and meeting their health and supportive care needs as they approach the end of life, as well as the needs of their family and carers.

ACTIONS RELEVANT TO THIS step

2 Years
5 Years

STEP 7

End-of-life care

Actions

3.2.2
Develop a national framework for networked, distributed comprehensive cancer care, to facilitate provision of services as close as safely possible to where patients live. This will include the role of Comprehensive Cancer Centres to enhance patient outcomes, strengthen transparency and accountability, and drive continuous improvements for all patients across the network regardless of where the care is provided.
View action page
3.2.3
Implement innovative, evidence-based and cost-effective models of care for people living with and beyond cancer.
View action page
3.2.4
Develop and refine integrated care models to maximise access to high-quality, timely and evidence-based palliative and end-of-life care, including voluntary assisted dying.
View action page
3.2.5
Lead a national approach to identifying and reporting Indigenous status in cancer care.
View action page
4.2.2
Ensure targeted and innovative research investment into areas of unmet and emerging need; and improve clinical trial design and equitable access.
View action page
4.2.3
Identify opportunities to improve equitable cancer care through the digital health ecosystem.
View action page
5.2.1
Identify current and emerging workforce undersupply in line with cancer workforce modelling and other national health workforce strategies, and initiate planning with the sector towards building future workforce capacity and capability.
View action page
5.2.2
Build on existing capability of the primary care workforce to collaboratively and sustainably support the needs of consumers.
View action page
5.2.3
Evaluate and extend cultural safety training programs to cancer service providers, including through community-based partnerships with priority population groups.
View action page
5.2.4
Identify priority areas of need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer care workforce and develop a plan to recruit, train and retain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer care workforce.
View action page

2 Years

STEP 7

End-of-life care

Actions

3.2.2
Develop a national framework for networked, distributed comprehensive cancer care, to facilitate provision of services as close as safely possible to where patients live. This will include the role of Comprehensive Cancer Centres to enhance patient outcomes, strengthen transparency and accountability, and drive continuous improvements for all patients across the network regardless of where the care is provided.
View action page
3.2.3
Implement innovative, evidence-based and cost-effective models of care for people living with and beyond cancer.
View action page
3.2.4
Develop and refine integrated care models to maximise access to high-quality, timely and evidence-based palliative and end-of-life care, including voluntary assisted dying.
View action page
3.2.5
Lead a national approach to identifying and reporting Indigenous status in cancer care.
View action page
4.2.2
Ensure targeted and innovative research investment into areas of unmet and emerging need; and improve clinical trial design and equitable access.
View action page
4.2.3
Identify opportunities to improve equitable cancer care through the digital health ecosystem.
View action page
5.2.1
Identify current and emerging workforce undersupply in line with cancer workforce modelling and other national health workforce strategies, and initiate planning with the sector towards building future workforce capacity and capability.
View action page
5.2.2
Build on existing capability of the primary care workforce to collaboratively and sustainably support the needs of consumers.
View action page
5.2.3
Evaluate and extend cultural safety training programs to cancer service providers, including through community-based partnerships with priority population groups.
View action page
5.2.4
Identify priority areas of need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer care workforce and develop a plan to recruit, train and retain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer care workforce.
View action page

5 Years

STEP 7

End-of-life care

Actions

2.5.3
Ensure multidisciplinary cancer care teams for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are trauma-aware and healing-informed.
View action page
3.5.2
Establish an Australian Comprehensive Cancer Network (ACCN) to ensure connectivity and sharing of expertise between Comprehensive Cancer Centres, other cancer services, regional hospitals, community and primary care. The establishment of an ACCN will increase equity of access across services for all patients, deliver cancer care close to home, and monitor evidence-based system performance.
View action page
4.5.1
Design and embed patient reported experience and patient reported outcomes into national performance monitoring and reporting for all providers, to assess services for all population groups and establish an evidence base.
View action page
4.5.2
Expand access to digitally enabled cancer care to improve equity and access to quality cancer care, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.
View action page
4.5.3
Explore and test innovative approaches to health service funding models to address areas of need, and system improvement, in cancer care.
View action page
5.5.1
Implement a cancer care workforce pipeline that meets demand for optimal cancer care, with diversity measures in training, recruitment and talent management to ensure the cancer workforce represents the diversity of patient populations.
View action page
5.5.2
Assist the sector to support all cancer care practitioners to work at the top of their scope of practice, increase retention and ensure ongoing access to continuing professional development.
View action page
5.5.3
Routinely integrate cultural safety training programs for cancer service providers, including through community-based partnerships with priority population groups.
View action page
5.5.4
Support national coordination and implementation of a plan to recruit, train and retain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer care workforce
View action page
6.5.2
Implement strategies to embed culturally safe care within cancer-related services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
View action page

Print the plan

< Back to OCPs