Accessing a palliative care service

If you have been diagnosed with a serious or chronic life-limiting illness, it can help to talk with your doctor or another health professional about how palliative care services might support you. Depending on your situation, preferences and needs, you may want to consider palliative care at the time of your diagnosis, or you may prefer to wait.

Why earlier access often helps#

Accessing palliative care services earlier is often better, even if you don’t use all of their support until later. Early contact means you hear about the benefits palliative care can offer, and research has shown that people who access palliative care earlier tend to have better outcomes.

Palliative care can make day-to-day life easier for you and for the people caring for you, whether care is provided at home, in an inpatient palliative care unit, in a residential aged care home, in supported accommodation or in hospital. It is designed around your needs and the needs of your family, and you may have a say in how and where care is provided, depending on what is available in your local area.

Types of palliative care services#

Several types of specialist palliative care services may be available:

• Community palliative care – provides nursing, allied health, respite and practical support in people’s homes, as well as information, equipment, medications, complex symptom and pain management, and access to medical review and assessment.
• Inpatient palliative care – provides care for people who need complex symptom and pain management or end-of-life care in a specialist unit attached to a hospital. Some units also provide day care.
• Hospital consultancy – provides advice on symptom and pain management or end-of-life care for people in hospital, alongside their other care.
• Outpatient clinics – provide assessment, care planning and early intervention after a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness.
• Day hospices – provide psychological and emotional support for people with a life-limiting illness, and respite for their families and carers.

Choosing the care that suits you#

Talk with your family and your doctor or health professional about which type of palliative or end-of-life care you need now and in the future. Your needs will probably change as your condition progresses, and palliative care services are designed to adapt to those changing needs.

It is also a good idea to ask your family or carer what kind of help they need. It can be useful to write down the things that you and your carer are finding difficult, then discuss the available options with your doctor. You can also contact palliative care services directly to ask about what they offer.

Getting a referral#

You can contact palliative care services directly, or you can be referred by your doctor, nurse or local health provider, your carer or a family member. A good starting point is to talk with your doctor or a trusted professional from a local clinic or service about your needs.

Community palliative care services often accept referrals based on where a person lives and serve particular areas. If you need to be admitted to a specialist palliative care unit in a hospital, you will usually need a referral from your doctor.

Finding palliative care services#

You can find a palliative care service through your doctor, local health provider, or an online directory of palliative care services in your area.

Where to get help#