Quality Standards Resource Centre

This guide focuses on palliative and end-of-life care, detailing general principles, illness trajectories, the role of general practitioners, and practical recommendations for patient-cantered care. It provides consensus-based guidelines for initiating advance care planning, symptom management, team-based end-of-life care, medication use, and supporting both patients and their families. It includes information on the transition from chronic disease treatment to a palliative approach and includes tools for clinical decision-making.

This guide outlines a palliative care approach for patients with life-limiting conditions, focusing on improving quality of life through early assessment, pain relief, and addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs. It describes the role of general practitioners in delivering person-centred care, engaging families, and ensuring collaborative, holistic support in both residential aged care and community settings.

Older Australians, particularly those that reside in residential aged care settings or in multigenerational households, are vulnerable to the ongoing risk of contracting and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and other highly infectious illnesses such as influenza and gastroenteritis.

This resource guides clinicians on the importance of advance care planning, particularly for those with life-limiting illnesses, chronic conditions, or cognitive impairment. It outlines the need for early conversations about patient preferences and comprehensive care, ensuring decisions are documented, shared, and align with clinical handover processes to respect patient autonomy and improve care outcomes. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides guidance on end-of-life care during the last days of life, relevant for aged care settings. It focuses on maintaining comfort, managing symptoms, and reducing unnecessary interventions. Clinicians are supported in offering compassionate care, addressing potential emergencies, and involving family members while ensuring that older people are treated with dignity during their final days. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides key actions for clinicians delivering end-of-life care. It highlights the shift from curative to palliative approaches, emphasising communication, patient dignity, symptom management, medication review, and decision-making. It includes strategies for managing common symptoms and minimising risks to ensure safe, high-quality care in the last days of life. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource outlines the Australian Government’s strategies, initiatives, and research for improving palliative care. It details the National Palliative Care Strategy, workforce training, and key programs such as at-home and aged care measures. It also highlights the National Framework for Advance Care Planning, ensuring access to quality palliative care across Australia. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides a checklist for home care and Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers to help them prepare for and manage the care of older people during heatwaves. It outlines steps to take before, during, and after heatwaves, ensuring the health and safety of those under their care. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This guide provides practical strategies for health service organisations and clinicians to deliver comprehensive end-of-life care. It aligns with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, focusing on patient-centred communication, care components, triggers for recognising end-of-life, and organisational support through leadership, education, and evaluation. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides guidance on workplace emergencies. It includes information about what to do if there's an emergency at your workplace, types of emergencies, evacuation procedures and more. It highlights the importance of being aware of people's needs in an emergency situation and considering vulnerable people when developing an evacuation plan.

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource outlines support available for aged care providers in flood-affected regions. It includes guidance on emergency management, workforce arrangements, access to medical supplies, and disaster relief funding. The document also provides state-specific emergency contacts and resources to help maintain service continuity during and after floods. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides a summer clinical alert for aged care providers, focusing on safeguarding older people during extreme heat. It includes guidance on identifying vulnerable people, creating action plans, monitoring hydration, and recognising heat-related illnesses. It helps providers prepare for heatwaves and protect those in care. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource offers guidance to aged care providers on keeping older people safe during summer. It includes strategies for managing heat exposure, hydration, and sun protection. It helps providers monitor vulnerable people, recognise signs of overheating, and implement preventative measures to ensure safety during hot weather​. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides information on free palliative care education programs available for health and aged care workers. It includes details about various training opportunities, such as online courses and in-person sessions, designed to enhance skills in delivering high-quality palliative care. The programs cover key topics like symptom management, communication, and multidisciplinary care. This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides a nationally consistent framework for advance care planning documents in Australia. It outlines principles, ethical considerations, and best practices for creating, implementing, and accessing advance care plans, including Advance Care Directives. It aims to guide policymakers, administrators, and healthcare providers in recognising people’s values, preferences, and rights regarding future care. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This is a collection of resources related to the National Health and Climate Strategy. The collection includes the strategy, implementation plan 2024-2028, stakeholder engagement report, governance information and publications. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource outlines the Governing for Reform in Aged Care Program, designed to strengthen corporate and clinical governance capabilities for aged care leaders. It provides tools, online learning modules, webinars, and podcasts to support governance improvement and help leaders engage in reform efforts. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards. 

This resource outlines strategies for managing emergency situations, focusing on risk mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. It includes guidelines on emergency planning, crisis leadership, and community engagement, emphasising coordinated efforts across various sectors to handle natural or human-caused disasters.

Guidance and requirements may differ across states and territories. Users are responsible for considering their individual circumstances and specific state-based regulations and legislation.

This guide covers advance care planning for older adults, detailing the process of discussing patients' values, appointing a decision-maker, and documenting preferences for future care. It outlines the general practitioner’s role, steps for initiating discussions, assessing decision-making capacity, storing care plans, and ensuring patients' wishes are respected during their illness trajectory.

This resource provides culturally safe and responsive palliative care information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It includes guidance for health professionals on culturally appropriate care, patient and family journeys, and relevant research and practices to support respectful and effective healthcare for Indigenous communities.