To address the identified gap in specialist palliative care educated nurses, the GRPCC and Palliative Care South East (PCSE) have partnered with the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) to develop the course ‘Transition to Specialty Palliative Care Practice’. This unique partnership has created a hybrid model of education to support nurses living in regional and metropolitan areas to advance their palliative care knowledge. Now in its second year, this course supports nurses to undertake education in speciality palliative care and scaffold the transition to post-graduate level study, should they wish to continue independently. On completion of the Transition to Specialty Palliative Care Practice course, participants attain recognition for one unit in a Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care at ACN, or other university. 

The pilot program which ran from March 2021 until October 2021, was run over seven sessions (six weeks apart) in a face-to-face format, where possible. The face-to-face sessions were complimented by an accredited online study component co-ordinated by the ACN.  The TSP pilot project was evaluated through the skill matrix pre and post the course; sessional evaluations and individual discussion and questions via telephone; anecdotal feedback.  The pre and post-skills matrix identified positive movement in most tasks in most domains. Movement on the skills matrix demonstrated more than 70% of the group identified certain tasks as a strength. The Communication skills domain consistently rated above 80% -100%.   

Of the 14 participants in the pilot course, 4 are currently enrolled in further post-graduate studies. Other participants have taken on project portfolios within their workplace, or used their increased knowledge and confidence to take on new roles.   

The combination of the academic curriculum from ACN aligning with the face-to-face sessions by expert clinicians provided a successful hybrid model suitable to the practicality of the generalist nurse. The exposure and interaction to experienced clinicians from varied disciplines and peak bodies enhanced cross-discipline connections, confidence and leadership to the participants.  The cross-pollination between the regional areas and southeast outer Melbourne and metro centres provided networks, relationships connections and key learnings.  

Click here to view the Pilot Report.

Click here to view the 2022 course program.

Click here to register your interest for future courses.

The Professional Development and Skills Matrix and Resource Toolkit for palliative care identifies, measures and addresses the individual learning needs and appropriate professional development strategies for nurses and allied health professionals working in community and acute care settings.   

The skills matrix uses a survey method whereby individuals complete a questionnaire in Survey Monkey (an electronic data collection platform) rating their knowledge and skills against each question with the following criteria: 

• No knowledge 

• Basic knowledge 

• Can do with supervision 

• Can perform independently 

• Can teach others  

Analysis of the results can provide feedback on relevant professional development opportunities for the individual, department/organisation and the region, based on identified gaps, areas for consolidation and practice strengths.  The skills matrix also assists clinical staff, unit managers and health services to respond to national quality standards for accreditation. 

Click here to download the PD SMaRT project toolkit which includes step-by-step instructions to replicate the project including survey questions, data analysis, report and email templates, and professional development opportunities.

The Strengthening Support for Clients having Palliative Care in Gippsland (Implementing the Telephone Triage Tool) Project has seen an existing GRPCC Palliative Care Telephone Triage Tool, that was originally developed in hard copy, being customised to an electronic form.    

This electronic tool has been implemented into a range of settings where palliative care is delivered, to support nurses to triage and communicate palliative care symptomology.   

This project, conducted in 2020-21, has been a collaboration between Gippsland Region Palliative Care Consortium (GRPCC), Gippsland Primary Health Network (Gippsland PHN) and Monash School of Rural Health.  

A research component of this project is providing data related to the reasons people are calling palliative care services after hours, and actions that result from the triage, as well as qualitative responses of nurses regarding using the tools and feedback on the associated training.  

Three distinct electronic Telephone Triage Tools have been developed. The first tool, for community palliative care clients in the after-hours time period, has been customised to an electronic form, with the integrity of the assessment and recommended actions preserved from the original tool. This e-tool has been implemented into Health Services and Community Health Services in Gippsland for use predominantly by generalist nurses who receive telephone calls from palliative care clients/caregivers in the after-hours time period.  

The second tool was developed for the primary health setting. It was envisaged that practice nurses in GP clinics would use this tool to support the triage of calls from clients/caregivers related to palliative care symptomology, and communication with general practitioners.  

The primary health tool has been adopted into subacute areas including Hospital Admission Reduction Program (HARP), community based nursing (in business hours), and the Gippsland Regional Palliative Care Consultancy Service, as an intake tool.  

The third tool was developed and customised for the Residential Aged Care (RAC) setting. This tool is used by registered and enrolled nurses in RAC for the purpose of assessment and communication with other health professionals, namely GPs, in the assessment and communication of palliative care symptoms in residents in aged care.  

At this stage, the three e tools are only available for use within Gippsland. 

Click here to download the initial Tools to Assist After-Hours Telephone Triage of Community Palliative Care Clients booklet.

Click here to view the Strengthening Support for Clients Having Palliative Care in Gippsland report. 

Click here for more information on the tools and their use. 

The Care Plan for the Dying Person – Victoria (CPDP) tool provides an evidence-based approach to the delivery of consistent care in the last days of life in the acute care setting. The development of this tool was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and led by the Victorian End-of-Life Care Coordinating Program. The CPDP is aligned with the International Collaborative for Best Care of the Dying Person. Safer Care Victoria became responsible for the CPDP-Vic in 2018.

In 2018, the GRPCC recommended Health Services in Gippsland adopt the CPDP in place of previously implemented Pathway for Care of the Dying PICD. This improved statewide tool is consistent with health services Statement of Priorities, and the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS) Standard 5- Comprehensive Care (specifically Standard 5.14-5.20) and the National Palliative Care Standards 2018 (specifically Standard 2. 2 Developing a care plan).

The GRPCC CPDP audit tool incorporates a general audit tool for the dying patient (developed by Safer Care Victoria), and reflects audit tools developed to monitor and evaluate the Pathway for Care of the Dying person (PICD) in Gippsland.

Completion of the audit tool and the subsequent report can inform services of the areas for quality improvement in care of the dying person. It provides a guide to measure improvement of this care by subsequent auditing and comparison of results. It can direct education to particular areas that identify as opportunities for improvement.

Contact the GRPCC for more information on the CPDP Audit tool

An imprest system serves as a stock management process to enable timely access to palliative care and end of life care medicines by appropriate clinical staff in a Residential Aged Care Home (RACH). Medication is held within the stock management system in accordance with legislative requirements of Victoria.

In 2022-23, the GRPCC undertook a project in collaboration with the Gippsland Primary Health Network ( PHN) to support 11 RACH in Gippsland to establish and implement a palliative care and end of life care medicines imprest system.

Click here to view the Guiding principles for medication management in RACH 2022

Click here to view the Step by step guide to establish and implement a palliative care and end of life medications imprest system into RACH in Victoria

In 2015-16, the GRPCC offered quality improvement grants to local Health Services to undertake projects that would directly improve the delivery of palliative care to clients living with life limiting illnesses in Gippsland.

To acknowledge the value of these projects and to create sustainability in the GRPCC investment in these activities, the project plans, accompanying documents, and proforma from these projects are available for services to develop their own implementation plans for these palliative care activities.

These plans are free for you to download, but in the instance that they are used, it would be appreciated if you would notify and acknowledge the GRPCC as the originator of the plans:

Implementing ACP – an organisational approach

Implementation of PCOC into community pall care project plan

The GRPCC Model of Care is designed to help community palliative care services meet the challenge of increasing demand and to support capacity building through a model that may be adopted by services region-wide and is based on national standards.

Click here to view the Model of Community Palliative Care report or click here to view the Model of Community Palliative Care Framework.

Please note, the Model of Community Palliative Care has not been updated since development in 2015.