Mrs Sarah Begley1, Mrs Crystal Evans1
1Danila Dilba Health Service, Nightcliff, Australia
Biography:
Sarah is a Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Consultant with over 15 years’ experience across Australia and India. Now based in Darwin, she leads the Danila Dilba team supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders.
Abstract:
Background:
Community palliative care services face growing pressure to deliver holistic, culturally safe care to people with life-limiting illness, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In 2025, Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin launched an innovative “team of three” model designed to strengthen care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders living with chronic and serious illness.
Aim:
To explore how a multidisciplinary “team of three” — comprising an Aboriginal Health Worker, an Indigenous Support Worker, and a Registered Nurse — can improve cultural safety, clinical outcomes, and client experience in the community.
Method:
This practice-based initiative was implemented within an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation. The model was evaluated through reflective case review and staff and client debriefs, identifying themes related to care delivery, cultural safety, and system navigation. Three case studies were selected to illustrate its impact: clients living with advanced cancer, advanced dementia, and complex chronic disease.
Results:
Across all cases, the “team of three” model demonstrated enhanced coordination, flexibility, and client trust. The Aboriginal Health Worker ensured cultural safety and continuity, the Indigenous Support Worker provided intensive one-on-one practical and social support, and the Registered Nurse offered clinical leadership and medical liaison. Together, they enabled clients to remain at home, uphold dignity, and receive care that integrated clinical, cultural, and social dimensions.
Conclusion:
This model challenges conventional structures of community palliative care by centring small, diverse, and collaborative teams. The “team of three” approach shows potential to redefine what holistic, attentive, and culturally grounded care can look like — not only in Darwin, but across Australia’s community palliative care landscape.
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