The majority of health professionals and professional caregivers, regardless of specialty, discipline or setting will care for people approaching the end of their lives at some point in their career. Knowledge regarding evidence based, appropriate and effective care at the end of life is crucial for all health professionals and professional caregivers. This page provides information and links to various education and training opportunities for the health professionals of West Moreton.
Education and Training
West Moreton Regional Care at the End of Life Knowledge Framework:
In August 2019 the West Moreton Care at the End of Life Collaborative launched the Knowledge Framework. This Framework was developed in consultation with West Moreton Health Professionals from various settings and disciplines.
The purpose of The Framework is to offer a baseline for knowledge and understanding for health professionals and professional caregivers providing care at the end of life in the West Moreton region.
The intent of The Framework is to provide a guide for individuals and organisations in the West Moreton region regarding what they need to know as ‘core business’ in their specific role to provide care at the end of life to people in the West Moreton community. The Framework is:
- Specific to West Moreton.
- A resource of accessible Australian education programs that may help those caring for people at the end of life to achieve the minimum knowledge identified.
The Knowledge Framework identifies the knowledge needs by professional groups. Key knowledge domains (regarding care at the end of life) are identified as most important, more important and important for each professional group. The Knowledge framework provides links through to online education modules and other resources to achieve the knowledge domains identified.
The Framework is not intended for specialist palliative care clinicians
Specialist palliative care doctors, nurses and allied health professionals are required to have an advanced level of knowledge regarding palliative care; and complete specialist training or postgraduate study in the field of palliative care.
The Framework can be used in the following ways:
- As an individual reference guide of baseline knowledge for health professionals and professional caregivers providing care at the end of life.
- As a Framework for organisations to develop an education program / strategy regarding care at the end of life
Education and Training Resources
There are many training and development resources available for health professionals and are easily accessible online. The information on this page directs you to some of the resources available.
Centre for Palliative Care Research & Education (CPCRE):
CPCRE was established by Queensland Health in 2001 to enhance palliative care services in Queensland through education and research. It is funded by Queensland Health and is hosted by Metro North Hospital and Health. CPCRE hosts an annual conference in Brisbane and distributes a training calendar twice each year. CPCRE also has a subcutaneous infusion management learning module available on their website.
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA):
PEPA is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. PEPA provides free placements with palliative care services, workshops and other resources that support learning and development in the workplace. PEPA aims to enhance the capacity of health professionals to deliver a palliative care approach.
PallConsult Education Resources
PallConsult is funded by Queensland Health and run by Metro South Palliative Care Service. Education resources (available on their website) include Niki T34 training resources, Caring Safely at Home training resources and other helpful tools.
Care at end of life: Education & Training Framework
The Care at end of life: Education and training framework has been initiated to assist Hospital and Health Services with developing a localised Education and Training Strategy to expand knowledge of end-of-life care and raise awareness of advance care planning, the delivery of care at the end of life and the availability of supporting services and resources.
Caresearch Palliative Care Knowledge Network:
Caresearch is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. Caresearch is a website which aims to provide online access to evidence on palliative care for all Australians. Caresearch provides links to publication searches, online training opportunities and other useful training resources.
End of Life Essentials
This website provides online learning opportunities and practice resources for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to improve the quality and safety of end-of-life care in hospitals. End-of-life Essentials education is based on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care. The education is free to use, evidence based and has been peer reviewed by doctors, nurses and allied health professionals around Australia.
Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduates (PCC4U):
PCC4U is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. PCC4U promotes the inclusion of palliative care education as an integral part of all medical, nursing, and allied health undergraduate and entry to practice training, and ongoing professional development. It is accessible to all and includes free training modules. Whilst it is primarily designed for undergraduates, it is an excellent resource for health professionals who do not work in a specifically palliative care setting.
GP Resources
General Practitioners are the front line of support for people approaching the end of life. The information on this page directs you to some of the specific resources for GPs.
Health Pathways
West Moreton Health Pathways have been developed through a partnership between West Moreton Health and the Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network. Health Pathways is a web-based information portal supporting primary care clinicians to plan patient care. There are several pathways for care at the end of life in the West Moreton Health Pathways Portal.
Therapeutic Guidelines: Palliative Care
The Palliative Care Therapeutic Guidelines provide evidence-based guidelines the management of symptoms in palliative care patients. The guidelines can be purchased in hard copy (book) or you can choose to purchase a digital subscription.
palliAGEDgp App
The PalliAGEDgp smartphone app supports GPs who are caring for older palliative patients living at home or in residential care. As most deaths are expected, death can be planned for and the required care delivered in a pre-emptive fashion.
The app makes use of a framework of care which starts with a GP considering if they would be surprised if this patient died in the next 6 to 12 months. The key clinical processes resulting from their assessment are – advance care plan, case conference, or terminal care management plan. The app provides information and resources to support each of these and includes prescribing support for common symptoms experienced in the terminal phase. The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Play Store for Android.
PallConsult
PallConsult is part of a larger Queensland Health initiative aiming to enhance community-based palliative and end-of-life care services with the use of telehealth resources and tailored vocational education. PallConsult has been designed to boost capacity of local healthcare teams to deliver patient-centred palliative and end-of-life care. It does this by providing 24/7 telephone advice hotlines and tailored education and mentoring for Queensland clinicians. By doing this, PallConsult supports people in the last year of their life to receive the right care, at the right time, in the setting of their choice.
Resources for Aged Care
Caring for people approaching the end of life is core business for all health professionals working in aged care, regardless of the setting. The following links will lead you to key, trustworthy resources to support your work in aged care.
End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC)
End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) provides information, guidance and resources to health professionals and aged care workers to support palliative care and advance care planning to improve the care of older Australians. The website includes:
- Toolkits for different settings of care
- End of life law information
- Clinical tools
- Factsheets
palliAGEDnurse App
This app helps nurses working in residential aged care, community care and general practice to care for older people with palliative care needs. The app highlights a care framework built around three care processes – advance care planning, palliative care cases conferences and a care plan for the dying person. Nurses can navigate quickly to the three care processes. The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Play Store for Android.
PallConsult
PallConsult is part of a larger Queensland Health initiative aiming to enhance community-based palliative and end-of-life care services with the use of telehealth resources and tailored vocational education. PallConsult has been designed to boost capacity of local healthcare teams to deliver patient-centred palliative and end-of-life care. It does this by providing 24/7 telephone advice hotlines and tailored education and mentoring for Queensland clinicians. By doing this, PallConsult supports people in the last year of their life to receive the right care, at the right time, in the setting of their choice.
Advance Care Planning
Advance care planning is the process through which people make decisions about their future care in the event of them losing their decision-making capacity. It is done in consultation with clinicians, family members and significant others.
It primarily involves having discussions about future care choices and wishes. Health professionals can help a person make informed decisions for their future care.
In Queensland, end of life decision making is governed by the following legislation:
- Powers of Attorney Act 1998 (Qld)
- Guardianship and Administration Act 2000
The following resources will help you to learn more about Advance Care planning and end of life law in Queensland.
My Care My Choices
This website is primarily for the general community. However, it has lots of very useful information for health professionals, as well as links to Advance Care Planning documents.
End of Life Law for Clinicians
This website provides information and training in end of life law or clinicians. It is part of the Australian Centre for Health Law based at Queensland University of Technology.
Advance Care Planning Australia Learning
Advance Care Planning Australia provides online courses and face-to-face workshops nationally, specifically designed to support aged care workers, health professionals and the general public learn more about advance care planning.