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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 48(2)

Development and implementation of the Specialist Palliative Care in Aged Care Project across Queensland

Rebecca Smith A B * , Gregory Merlo B , Andrew M. Broadbent B C D , Caitlin Lock E , Sharon Mickan D and Nicola Morgan B C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Townsville University Hospital, Douglas, Qld, Australia.

B Healthcare Improvement Unit, Clinical Excellence Queensland, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

C Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Southport, Qld, Australia.

D Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia.

E Voluntary Dying Unit, Clinical Excellence Queensland, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

* Correspondence to: rebecca.smith2@health.qld.gov.au

Australian Health Review 48(2) 201-206 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH23272
Submitted: 28 December 2023  Accepted: 20 February 2024  Published: 12 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.

Abstract

There is an urgent and unmet need for specialist palliative care services in residential aged care. The Specialist Palliative Care in Aged Care (SPACE) Project aimed to improve palliative and end-of-life care for older people living in residential aged care facilities in Queensland. A representative working group developed a series of service principles around palliative care practice in aged care (comprehensive resident-focused care, streamlined service, and capacity building). Funding was allocated by population to the health services in Queensland to adapt and implement models of care aligned with these principles. SPACE successfully implemented a variety of decentralised models of care across Queensland. The critical elements for the success of SPACE were the use of an expert working group to define the core innovation, networking and implementation support from the central project team and community of practice, and adaptable models of care led by local facilitators. Lessons learned from this real-world case study could be adopted to guide and ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of future complex interventions in healthcare settings, both nationally and internationally.

Keywords: aged care, co-design, end-of-life care, implementation science, outreach, palliative care, residential service, service principles.

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