Understanding the National Palliative Care Standards

When your loved one needs palliative care, you want to be sure they are receiving the best possible support. The National Palliative Care Standards for Specialist Palliative Care Providers were developed by Palliative Care Australia to ensure that palliative care services provide high-quality, person-centred care that respects individual needs and wishes. The most recent edition of the Standards was published in 2024 as edition 5.1, and that’s the version we’ll summarise here.

These standards apply across hospitals, aged care facilities, and home care settings, helping to define what good palliative care looks like. They also provide a framework to help you understand what to expect from palliative care in residential aged care, so you can feel confident in the care your loved one receives and advocate for their comfort, dignity, and wellbeing. The standards align with national safety and quality care standards for all health professionals and aged care services, ensuring consistency in palliative care across the sector.

The standards are divided into two categories:

• Care Standards (Standards 1 to 6): These outline the systems and structures needed for providers to deliver high-quality palliative care, ensuring patients and families receive the right medical, emotional, and practical support.
• Governance Standards (Standards 7 to 9): These focus on quality management, continuous improvement, and benchmarking to ensure palliative care services are always striving for better outcomes.

By understanding these standards and how they fit within healthcare standards and frameworks, you can make informed choices about palliative care and know what to expect at each stage. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the nine key standards, breaking them down into clear, accessible insights to help you navigate this journey with confidence.

Fair warning: this will be quite a long blog — please don’t be put off; the length is simply because there are nine Standards to consider. However, we explain each one briefly and clearly so they’re easy to understand.‍‍

Standard 1: Assessment of needs

"Initial and ongoing assessment incorporates the person’s physical, psychological, cultural, social and spiritual experiences and needs."

Palliative care begins with a thorough, ongoing assessment of a person’s medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical needs. A one-time evaluation isn’t enough — assessments must be continuous and responsive, ensuring that care adapts as a person’s condition and preferences change.

You should expect care providers to listen, involve your family in decisions, and recognise that every person’s needs are unique. A good assessment process ensures that pain, distress, and personal wishes are always prioritised, especially for those who are approaching and reaching the end of life.

To meet Standard 1, services must:

• Ensure that qualified professionals carry out all initial and ongoing assessments.
• Coordinate assessments carefully to avoid unnecessary repetition and reduce stress for the person and their family.
• Use evidence-based assessment tools to recognise when a person is nearing the end of life or entering the final stages.
• Regularly review and update the person’s needs to ensure their care remains appropriate.
• Provide families with clear information on who to contact when there are changes in the person’s condition — including after hours.
• Accurately document all assessments in the person’s clinical records.
• Use ongoing assessments to inform care plans and adjust treatment as needed.

Standard 2: Developing the care plan

"The person, their family and carers work in partnership with the team to communicate, plan, set goals of care and support informed decisions about the care plan."

Palliative care is not one-size-fits-all — it should be tailored to your loved one’s needs. This standard ensures that they have a clear, documented care plan outlining their medical needs, symptom management, and personal preferences, so their care remains consistent, coordinated, and aligned with their wishes.

A good care plan is collaborative, meaning you and your family should have a meaningful say in treatment decisions and future care options. It should also be reviewed regularly, ensuring it continues to reflect your loved one’s relevant needs as they change over time.

To meet Standard 2, services must:

• Ensure care plans are based on a thorough assessment and take into account the person’s cultural, spiritual, physical, psychological, and social needs.
• Provide individuals, families, and carers with up-to-date information so they can make informed decisions about care planning.
• Have systems in place to identify a substitute decision-maker if the person is unable to make decisions themselves.
• Support individuals in considering, documenting, and updating their future care goals, including through an advance care plan.
• Have a system for storing, accessing, and sharing advance care plans and goals of care to ensure all team members are aware of the person’s wishes.
• Pay special attention to vulnerable populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, asylum seekers, those experiencing homelessness, and people living with dementia or mental illness, ensuring their voices are heard in care planning.
• Document all discussions and decisions about the care plan so they can guide care delivery.
• Ensure that expectations and preferences around where and how care is provided are discussed, negotiated, and formally documented.
• Regularly review and update the care plan based on reassessments, changing needs, and consultations with the person, their family, and carers.
• Incorporate emergency and after-hours plans, including guidance on certification of death and arrangements for care and collection of the body when required.

Standard 3: Caring for carers

"The needs and preferences of the person’s family and carers are assessed, and directly inform provision of appropriate support and guidance about their role."

Caring for a loved one in palliative care can be both deeply meaningful and incredibly demanding. If you are a carer, you may find yourself balancing physical tasks, emotional support, and medical responsibilities, all while managing your own well-being. Caring for someone in palliative care is never easy, but with the right information, emotional support, and practical assistance, you can feel more confident in your role to play, knowing that you are not facing this journey alone.

Good palliative care services recognise that caring for you is just as important as caring for your loved one. You should have access to counselling, education on symptom management, practical assistance, and time to rest. You deserve to feel heard, informed, and supported, so you can provide care with confidence while maintaining your own wellbeing.

To meet Standard 3, services must:

• Identify at least one primary carer for each person and assess their individual needs, including their need for information and support.
• Work closely with families to understand how involved they want to be in care, while also discussing the potential benefits and risks of assisting with daily tasks.
• Put systems in place to ensure carers are supported when participating in health care, respecting privacy preferences.
• Provide up-to-date information and resources tailored to carers’ needs, including guidance on respite services, financial support, and care equipment.
• Ensure families have a clear plan for emergency and out-of-hours situations, so they know what to do if something changes unexpectedly.
• Offer education on safe care techniques, including manual handling, daily living activities, and reducing physical strain.
• Help families prepare for the final stages by providing clear, compassionate information on the signs of approaching death and what steps to take afterward, in a way that respects their cultural and social needs.

Standard 4: Providing care

"The provision of care is based on the assessed needs of the person, informed by evidence, and is consistent with the values, goals, and preferences of the person as documented in their care plan."

At its core, palliative care is about ensuring comfort, dignity, and quality of life. The way care is delivered matters just as much as the treatments themselves. This standard ensures that specialist palliative care services provide quality palliative care that respects individual values and preferences. Every person receiving care should feel safe, valued, and heard, with a care plan that adapts as their needs change.

Your loved one should receive care that aligns with their wishes and is flexible enough to respond to their evolving needs. This means access to pain relief, emotional support, and medical treatment that reflects their goals. When care needs to be adjusted, you should be involved in discussions, so decisions feel right for your family.

To meet Standard 4, services must:

• Deliver care promptly and in line with the person’s changing needs, ensuring it reflects their documented care plan and personal preferences.
• Discuss, document, and plan for the person’s preferred place of care and end-of-life arrangements, ensuring that these wishes are respected as much as possible.
• Base clinical decisions on new and emerging evidence, ensuring that care remains up to date with best practices.
• If care cannot be provided exactly as planned, discuss alternative options with the person, their family, and carers, ensuring they feel informed and included in decision-making.
• Have protocols in place to escalate care when necessary, responding to changes in symptoms or condition.
• Anticipate potential needs, problems, and distress wherever possible, ensuring that when challenges arise, they are managed quickly, effectively, and with compassion.
• Measure the effectiveness of care based on established indicators, ensuring continuous improvement.

Standard 5: Transitions within and between services

"Care is integrated across the person’s experience to ensure seamless transitions within and between services."

Moving between care settings — whether from home to a hospital, an aged care facility, or back home — can be stressful and disruptive for both the person receiving care and their family. This standard ensures that care remains consistent and well-coordinated, so no one is left feeling uncertain about what comes next.

Palliative care should be seamless, with clear communication between hospitals, GPs, aged care providers, and families. When care transitions are handled well, families don’t have to worry about repeating information, chasing updates, or dealing with delays — especially when caring for people who are approaching the end of life.

To meet Standard 5, services must:

• Have clear policies and guidelines in place to support smooth transitions between settings, including referrals, admissions, discharges, and handovers.
• Ensure effective communication between care providers, making sure that the person’s care plan, preferences, and prognosis are shared across services.
• Maintain clear referral and admission criteria, so families understand how to access specialist palliative care when it’s needed.
• Ensure that referrals are made to the right specialists, such as mental health professionals, pain management teams, or bereavement counsellors, to provide comprehensive support.
• Assist community-based care providers in building their capability, so more people can be cared for at home when that aligns with their preferences.
• Regularly assess the needs of the local and wider health community, using this information to improve services and plan for future demand.

Standard 6: Grief support

"Families and carers have access to bereavement support services and are provided with information about loss and grief."

Grief doesn’t begin only after a person passes — it often starts much earlier, as families come to terms with the changes that come with a life-limiting illness. This standard ensures that both the person receiving palliative care and their family have access to bereavement support before and after death, helping them process emotions in a way that feels right for them.

Losing someone is never easy, but the right support can make a difference. Good palliative care services provide grief counselling, peer support, and referrals to help you and your family navigate loss, understand what to expect, and find relevant ways to cope in your own time and way.

To meet Standard 6, services must:

• Provide culturally appropriate information and resources about grief and bereavement support before and after a loved one’s passing.
• Offer education on loss, grief, and bereavement for staff, volunteers, and community care providers to ensure families receive compassionate, informed support.
• Use structured bereavement assessments that consider emotional, behavioural, social, spiritual, and physical needs.
• Begin grief risk assessments from the first point of contact, continuing support throughout palliative care and beyond.
• Use validated tools to assess signs of persistent or overwhelming distress in grieving family members.
• Develop referral pathways with community organisations, so families can access the right support to help them prepare for loss and adjust in the months that follow.
• Refer families to specialist bereavement counsellors or mental health professionals when extra support is needed.
• Ensure that palliative care teams receive ongoing training and supervision to provide compassionate bereavement support.

Standard 7: Service culture

"The service has a philosophy, values, culture, structure, and environment that supports the delivery of person-centred palliative and end-of-life care."

Palliative care is about more than just medical treatment — it’s about creating a culture of dignity, compassion, and respect. This standard ensures that care providers don’t just focus on physical needs but also foster a warm, person-centred environment where people feel truly valued and supported. A strong service culture is built on consensus between care providers, families, and individuals about what compassionate, person-centred care looks like.

When you or your loved one receive palliative care, you should feel safe, heard, and empowered to make choices that reflect personal values and preferences. Aged care homes, hospitals, and community services all have a responsibility to create a culture where care is delivered with kindness, understanding, and a deep respect for people of all religious, ethnic and language groups.

To meet Standard 7, services must:

• Ensure that person-centred care is embedded in the organisation’s values, philosophy, and culture.
• Reflect these values in clinical guidelines, policies, and procedures, so that person-centred care is consistently practiced.
• Create an environment that supports people at the end of life, ensuring families and carers feel welcome and that cultural and personal preferences are respected.
• Use technology and innovation to enhance care, making sure services remain flexible and responsive to individual needs.
• Understand and respond to the unique needs of the community, shaping services to provide the best possible specialist palliative care while influencing wider health and social care systems.

Standard 8: Quality improvement

"Services are engaged in quality improvement and research to improve service provision and development."

Palliative care should always be evolving — striving for better outcomes, safer care, and a more compassionate experience for patients and families. This standard ensures that palliative care providers are constantly evaluating and improving their services, using research, data, and palliative care self-assessment feedback to refine their approach.

You should feel confident that your loved one’s care is based on the latest knowledge, best practices, and a commitment to seek ongoing improvement. By reviewing clinical performance, listening to families, and learning from experience, services can ensure that every person receives the best possible care.

To meet Standard 8, services must:

• Have a structured quality improvement process in place to review care delivery and implement changes where needed.
• Collect and analyse data on palliative care outcomes, using this information to refine services.
• Identify and investigate system failures, ensuring that lessons are learned and improvements are made.
• Conduct regular clinical audits to maintain high standards of care.
• Maintain accreditation to meet governance and safety requirements.
• Participate in benchmarking, comparing service delivery over time and against external providers to ensure continuous progress.
• Support staff to lead or contribute to palliative care research, helping to advance best practices.
• Provide guidance to other healthcare services to help improve palliative care across different settings.
• Ensure that families and carers have opportunities to give feedback, both formally and informally, to shape future service improvements.

Standard 9: Staff qualifications and training

"Staff and volunteers are appropriately qualified, are engaged in continuing professional development, and are supported in their roles."

High-quality palliative care depends on well-trained professionals and dedicated volunteers. This standard ensures that the people caring for your loved one have the right skills, qualifications, and experience to provide expert medical support, emotional care, and guidance for families.

You should feel confident that every nurse, doctor, allied health professional, and volunteer involved in palliative care has ongoing training, supervision, and access to additional professional development. When staff are well-prepared and supported, they can deliver the highest standard of care with compassion and confidence.

To meet Standard 9, services must:

• Employ a multidisciplinary team of qualified health professionals who can meet the physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs of both the person receiving care and their family.
• Ensure that staff in clinical leadership and management roles have the necessary qualifications and experience.
• Conduct regular assessments of training needs, ensuring all staff receive professional development in palliative care.
• Provide supervision and ongoing training for both staff and volunteers, including education on digital health and new innovations in palliative care.
• Train staff to provide culturally safe and responsive care, ensuring they can support people from diverse backgrounds with understanding and sensitivity.
• Promote a culture of self-care, where staff are encouraged to use self-care strategies and have access to mental health and wellbeing support.
• Recognise, support, and properly manage volunteer programs, ensuring that volunteers are trained and integrated into the palliative care team.

What the Standards mean for palliative aged care

Palliative care in residential aged care should provide comfort, dignity, and expert support for residents and their families. Under the Aged Care Act 2024, all people using Commonwealth-funded aged care services have the right to equitable access to palliative and end-of-life care, ensuring they receive the right support when needed. Aged care providers follow these standards by delivering person-centred care, managing symptoms effectively, and supporting families through every stage.

These guidelines help create a safe, compassionate environment where residents’ needs, wishes, and cultural backgrounds are respected. If you’d like to explore the full guidelines, you can read the National Palliative Care Standards for Specialist Palliative Care Providers 5.1 Edition (2024).