Sabina Clapham1,Mrs Anita Hartati1, Kylie Draper1
1Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, Wollongong, Australia
Biography:
Sabina Clapham is Director of the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), a Registered Nurse and a Senior Research Fellow with the Australasian Health Outcomes Consortium at the University of Wollongong. She leads a national program supporting more than 220 palliative care services to use routine patient outcome data for benchmarking, quality improvement, and research.
Abstract:
Background:
The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) is a national voluntary program dedicated to improving the quality and outcomes of palliative care in Australia. Participation has grown steadily—now capturing approximately 20% of all-cause deaths—Despite this progress, national data reveal persistent trends in access that warrant closer examination.
Aims:
To explore national trends in palliative care referrals, duration of care, and disease profiles over the past decade.
Methods:
Aggregated national PCOC data from 2014-2024 were analysed to identify trends in service entry points, care duration and diagnostic categories.
Results:
–Hospitals remain the dominant entry point for palliative care-accounting for two-thirds of referrals, a pattern unchanged over the last decade. Referrals from community services and general practitioners remain consistently low.
–The median duration of palliative care is 11 days (average 34 days) with no significant change over time.
–The proportion of patients with non-malignant conditions increased from 22.6% to 38%. Dementia— now the fastest growing cause of death in Australia – rose from 1.9% to 6.3%.
–Despite four of the top five leading causes of death being non-malignant (AIHW, 2025) access to palliative care for these conditions remains limited- highlighting a critical gap in service equity.
Conclusions:
A decade of national data reveals that while participation in PCOC has expanded, longstanding patterns in access persist. The findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to improve referral pathways, extend care duration and ensure equitable access for people with non-malignant and progressive conditions such as dementia.