Palliative care needs to be an integral part of health care, especially given the ageing population and the increasing incidence of chronic disease. All health professionals should have expertise in palliative care and know when to refer to specialist palliative care to assist with complex situations.

8 Steps to learning more about palliative care as a health professional:

Join Palliative Care Queensland – only $75/year

Joining Palliative Care Queensland connects you with the Queensland Palliative Care Network and enables you to keep up to date with events and activities.

Sign up to the PCQ E-News

Signing up to Palliative Care Queensland E-News to keep up to date with the latest news, and get notified about upcoming events.

Sign up to the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education (CPCRE) E-News

Sign up to receive the CPCRE newsletter, print calendar and stay up to date with palliative care events.

Visit CareSearch – find your professions care hub – GPs

The GP section reflects the reality of palliative care for GPs. As well as providing prescribing and. symptom management advice, the GP specifically addresses challenging topics such as psychosocial complexity and refractory symptoms, as well as clinical decision-making for the deteriorating patient, emergencies and planning for a home death.

Visit CareSearch – find your professions care hub – Nurses

All nurses at some stage will encounter people at the end of their life whether they work in hospitals, in aged care, or in palliative care. So, all nurses need some palliative care knowledge and skills.

Visit CareSearch – find your professions care hub – Allied Health

Supporting allied health professionals to provide compassionate, evidenced-based end-of-life care for their clients is an important part of ensuring that all Australians can have the best quality of life until death.

Visit PCC4u and consider doing some education modules

The PCC4U project aims to improve the skill and confidence of the health workforce to work with people with palliative care needs by promoting the integration of palliative care training within all health undergraduate, entry-to-practice, and relevant post-graduate curricula.

Attend PCQ Educations mornings – in Brisbane or via Webinar

Palliative Care Queensland (PCQ) and Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education collaborate to hold four statewide palliative care education morning events each year. These events are open to all PCQ members, palliative care (ie. primary care, aged care, General Practice, disability sector and acute hospital staff) and specialist palliative care health professionals and anyone with an interest in palliative care in Queensland. All events include a panel of speakers discussing their knowledge and experience in relation to the chosen topic.