Palliative care in general practice

NWMPHN and Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN) have partnered with the North and West Metropolitan Region Palliative Care Consortium to offer general practices the opportunity to connect with local community based palliative care providers.

General practices can request a visit from a community palliative care team member to provide information, education, and support, and help improve understanding and access to community palliative care services.

This is open to any practice in the NWMPHN catchment, as well as practices in Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea local government areas in the EMPHN catchment.

Click here to request a visit.

NWMPHN runs and promote palliative care training and education during the year. Subscribe to our newsletters or visit our events calendar.

This Australian Government DHDA page is the main source of free palliative care education opportunities for health and aged care workers.

This NWMPHN page features an extensive list of resources.

More education opportunities and resources are available here:

• Palliative and end-of-life care (RACGP)
• Palliative Care ECHO
• Palliative Care Education Visits for General Practice
  • Palliative Care Victoria
  • Victorian Palliative Care Advice Service

HealthPathways Melbourne provides clinical advice, easy-to-follow maps of referral services and comprehensive palliative care pages.

The Palliative Care Access to Core Medicines (PCAM) project supports palliative care in the community by increasing access to essential medicines for people who wish to die at home or in an aged care setting.

For details, visit Palliative care core medicines list and pharmacy stockists.

• Melbourne City Mission Palliative Care covering the local government areas of Darebin, Hume, Merri-bek and Yarra
• Mercy Palliative Care covering the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham
• Central Highlands Rural Health Palliative Care (Kyneton Health) covering the local government area of Macedon Ranges (part of the Loddon Mallee Regional Palliative Care Consortium)
• Western Health Palliative Care Service covering the local government area of Moorabool (east only – Bacchus Marsh, Ballan) (part of the Grampians Region Palliative Care Consortium)
• Banksia Palliative Care Service covering the local government areas of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea (outside NWMPHN region but part of the North and West Metropolitan Region Palliative Care Consortium)

Visit Palliative Care Victoria’s service directory for information and contact details for other specialist palliative care services in the region, including public hospital palliative care units, consultancy services, outpatient clinics, day hospices, and paediatric palliative care.

Acute referral services that provide clinical assistance for aged care home residents:

• Melbourne Health
• Mercy Health
• Western Health
• Northern Health
• Austin Health
• St Vincent’s Hospital

• Victorian Virtual Specialist Consults (VVSC) – provides GPs, nurses and allied health professionals specialist advice to facilitate ongoing patient management including general palliative care and advanced care planning through case conferences or co-consults.
• Victorian Palliative Care Advice Service (PCAS) – provides specialist palliative care information and advice to all Victorian healthcare providers.