Background: More than one-third of deaths in Australia each year are residents living in aged care homes (ACHs). Undoubtedly, care of the dying is routine care in ACHs and palliative care (PC) needs to be core business in this sector.The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted the need to develop greater palliative care competency in the aged care sector as a priority. The Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP) is a national program that promotes optimal palliative and end-of-life care for residents and their families through routine point of care assessment to inform care and timely referral to specialist palliative care. Reporting of outcomes and benchmarking is used to systematically improve resident outcomes in participating homes.

How does PACOP work and how does it intersect with other palliative care initiatives reaching into aged care?

Aims/objectives: This workshop will provide a framework for palliative care services to collaborate effectively with ACHs to provide equitable palliative care for residents. The objectives are to:

Key learning outcomes: At the end of this symposium the audience will be able to:

Methodology: The workshop will involve a presentation about the practical implementation and application of PACOP followed by table discussion/interactive discussion and presentation of case studies to explore the opportunity for a collaborative approach to embedding palliative care in ACHs, building capacity in the sector and supporting equitable access to high quality end of life care for people dying in ACHs.