Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative

Projects and Services

Current services and projects

• Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning, 2016 - ongoing (recurrently funded activity from 2022)

Focus: To receive, review, and upload advance care planning documents from all care environments in Queensland and compile a database of documented end-of-life care preferences.
Funded by: Queensland Department of Health
Further information: https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp

• PallConsult 2019 - ongoing (recurrently funded activity from July 2023)

Focus: Designed to boost the ability of local healthcare teams to deliver patient-centred palliative care, especially in rural and remote parts of the State including 24/7 phone hotline advice and tailored palliative and end-of-life care education and mentoring to clinicians in any health setting in Queensland.
Funded by: Queensland Department of Health  
Further information: www.pallconsult.com.au

• Metro South Advance Care Planning Service, 2022 - ongoing (recurrently funded activity from 2022)

Focus: The Metro South Advance Care Planning Service provides a specialist service to support clinicians, patients, families and communities to discuss, plan and document their health care needs. The team works with all specialties across Metro South Health (MSH) to provide direct, shared and supportive consultancy with health care providers.
Funded by: Queensland Department of Health
Further information:  Advance Care Planning | Metro South Health

• Advance Care Planning Australia. From 2023.

Focus: Advance Care Planning Australia is a national program enabling Australians to make the best choices for their future health and care. From 30 June 2023, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, through the BSPCC, became the new host for Advance Care Planning Australia.  Transition plans are currenly underway.   
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Further information: www.advancecareplanning.org.au

• caring@home, 2023 - 2026

Focus: caring@home develops and provides evidence-based and practical information for health professionals to support families and carers of people with a life-limiting illness who choose to be cared for, and die at home, if possible. This includes resources to support families and carers to help deliver palliative care at end of life for a home-based person. caring@home resources are applicable Australia-wide for clinical services, health professionals, and families and carers.

Funded by: Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, National Palliative Care Grants  
Further information: www.caringathomeproject.com.au

Completed projects

• Electronic Acute Resuscitation Plan projects (July 2021 – June 2023)

Focus: These projects aim to improve the accessibility of Acute Resuscitation Plan (ARP) and Paediatric Acute Resuscitation Plan (PARP) documents to health professionals across the health continuum via The Viewer/Health Provider Portal. The first component will allow QLD health clinicians (at ‘non-digital’ facilities) to create ARPs in The ACP Tracker module of The Viewer. Secondly the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning will be uploading ARPs created by private health professionals. The third component involves automating the transfer of electronic ARP/PARP created in Queensland Health integrated electronic medical record (ieMR/digital) facilities to The ACP Tracker/The Viewer. This will result in the creation of a “single source of truth” for end-of-life care documents within the ACP Tracker (The Viewer), making them available within, and external to, Queensland Health including GPs, Aged Care Facilities, Queensland Ambulance Services and community services. This will result in clinical, safety and quality and risk mitigation benefits, improving care of patients in their preferred environment of care.   
Funded by:Queensland Health Frail Older Person’s Collaborative and eHealth Queensland
Further information: https://qheps.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/2843843/Acut...

• caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families, 2020 - 2023

Focus: To support the provision of palliative care at home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. When care at home is preferred, it can be provided to help connect family, culture, community, country and the spiritual wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A Palliative Care Clinic Box containing a range of resources ha sbeen developed to support culturally-appropriate care.  
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, National Palliative Care Grants  
Further information: www.caringathomeproject.com.au

• Supporting Advance Care Planning Activity in Community 2022-2023

Focus: To improve awareness, understanding and confidence in advance care planning within community-dwelling Australians in the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network. The Project aims to inform community, support clinicians, and create ACP community champion resources within the region to improve capacity.  
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care Measure in collaboration with The Central Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine Coast PHN 
Further information: Project Coordinator, (07) 3156 9735

• Advance Care Yarning App Project, 2020 - 2022

• caring@home project, 2017 - 2023

Focus: To improve the quality of palliative care service delivery across Australia by developing resources that will support people to be cared for and die at home, if that is their choice.
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, National Palliative Care Grants  
Further information: www.caringathomeproject.com.au

• palliPHARM for residential and aged care communities Project, 2020 - 2022

Focus: palliPHARM aims to facilitate mechanisms that ensure community palliative care patients, whether in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) or private homes, have timely access to palliative care medicines, if needed. To build capacity between community pharmacies, community prescribers and RACFs, palliPHARM has developed resources on the essential palliative care medicines that should be routinely available in the community. This activity is now delivered as a part of PallConsult.
Funded by: Queensland Health (A COVID-19 legacy project)  
Further information: https://www.caresearch.com.au/eolcareracf/tabid/6689/Default.aspx

• Supporting advance care planning in residential aged care facilities Project 2020 - 2021

Focus: To improve the quality of advance care planning support to residents of aged care facilities within the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast PHN region.
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, Older Person’s Health funding in collaboration with the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast PHN 
Further information: Project Coordinator, (07) 3156 9735

• Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care Project (Phase 2) 2020 – 2021

Focus: This Project provides specialist, patient-centred palliative and end-of-life care education to selected general practices in the Brisbane South region to better support the needs of consumers, reducing inappropriate use of tertiary services by delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care Measure in collaboration with the Brisbane South PHN  
Further information: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/greater-choice-for-at-home-palliative-care-measure

Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care Project (Phase 1) 2019 - 2020

Focus: To improve provision of palliative care and end-of-life care services for residents in the Brisbane South PHN region with a focus on greater choice in quality, culturally appropriate, at-home services for all consumers and family/carers, with specific strategies to address the issues and complexities for multicultural communities.
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care Measure in collaboration with the Brisbane South PHN  
Further information: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/greater-choice-for-at-home-palliative-care-measure

• CARiAD Project, 2017 - 2019

Focus: To determine if carer-administered subcutaneous medicine for breakthrough symptoms is acceptable and feasible in the United Kingdom. Resources used are adapted from Metro South Caring Safely at Home package.
Funded by: HTA Programme of the NIHR (project number 15/10/37)
Further information: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11211024 or https://njl-admin.nihr.ac.uk/document/download/2011013

• IMPETUS-D Project, 2017- 2019

Focus: To develop and implement an innovative online training program coupled with mentoring to improve the provision of palliative care for residents with end stage dementia living in residential care.
Funded by: Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants

•  Improving End-of-Life Care for Residential Aged Care Residents initiative, 2016 - 2019

Focus: To support residential aged care facilities to embed evidence-based end-of-life processes into routine clinical care. Phase 1 Final Report (PDF, 873.96 KB); Phase 2 Final Report (PDF, 1.2 MB); Phase 3 Final Report.
Funded by: Brisbane South PHN

• National Rollout of the Palliative Approach Toolkit for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs): Variation of Grant Agreement, 2015 - 2016

Focus: To provide education on end-of-life symptom management and medications for locums and medical deputising practitioners working in residential aged care
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Social Services  
Further information: Palliaged - PA toolkit closure

• Advance Care Planning, 2014 - ongoing

Focus: To develop, implement and evaluate a sustainable and integrated end-of-life program across the Metro South Hospital & Health Service (MSHHS)
Funded by: Queensland Department of Health
Further information: http://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp

• Decision Assist, 2014 - 2016

Focus: To deliver palliative care and advance care planning (ACP) in residential and community aged care nationally. The role of BSPCC in the national project was that Prof Liz Reymond acted as the Australian & New Zealand Society for Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM) representative to develop and deliver an education package for GPs concerning palliative care for the elderly
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Health  
Further information: Advanced Care Planning Australia

• National Rollout of the Palliative Approach Toolkit for RACFs: Additional Resource Development, 2014 - 2015

Focus: To develop a series of fact sheets and four educational videos highlighting key messages relevant to palliative and end-of-life care using the PA Toolkit resources. Resources are aimed primarily at care workers in RACFs.
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Social Services 

• Palliative Care in an Aged Care Setting, 2013 - 2014

Focus: To co-present at a series of national forums for medical and nurse practitioners organised by ANZSPM
Funded by: ANZSPM

• National Rollout of the Palliative Approach Toolkit for RACFs project, 2012 - 2015

Focus: A national rollout of PA Toolkit resources for managers, clinicians and educators and one-day training workshops for residential aged care staff
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Social Services  
Further information: Palliaged - PA toolkit closure

• Palliative Care Capacity Building Program, Vietnam, 2009 - 2011

Focus: To develop and deliver palliative care training for physicians, paediatricians and nurses in Vietnam
Funded by: CDC and PEPFAR

Research

Research

• Improving end-of-life care for residential aged care residents, Phase three, 2018 –

Focus: To embed quality end-of-life resident-centred care in RACFs through the development, implementation and evaluation of a NP-led model for quality end-of-life care.
Funded by: BSPHN

• Evaluation and Compilation of Statement of Choices, 2017 –         

Focus: To compile and evaluate the end-of-life preferences of Queenslanders as they appear on Statement of Choices documents.
Funded by: Office of Advance Care Planning

• Establishment of the status of advance care planning and related documentation across Metro South Health Hospitals, 2017–     

Focus: To determine the evidence of ACP conversations and accessibility and validity of completed ACP documents for patients who died in a MSH hospital
Funded by: Metro South Health Executive Planning and Innovative Committee (EPIC) and Transformation and Innovation Collaborative (TIC)

• Improving end-of-life care for residential aged care residents Phases 1 and 2, 2016 – 2018         

Focus: To support RACFs to embed an evidence-based ACP program, adapted for individual facilities, in their routine clinical care to support high quality end-of-life care for residents and their family/friends.
Funded by: BSPHN

• Patient satisfaction with advance care planning discussions, 2016 –         

Focus: To assess the level of patient satisfaction with their experience when they are invited to participate in advance care planning discussions as an inpatient
Funded by: BSPCC

• A randomised controlled trial investigating possible additive analgesic effects of paracetamol in palliative patients using low-dose strong opioids, 2009 – 2011 

Focus: To determine whether the addition of oral paracetamol to the daily medication regimes of palliative patients requiring low doses of strong opioids improves pain control and opioid side effect profiles
Funded by: BSPCC

Practice innovation

• Metro South Palliative Care Services Survey MSPCS, 2017–

Focus: To obtain feedback from patients, carers and staff on the quality of the care provided by MSPCS, to ensure that MSPCS improvement activities are focused on areas of importance and relevance to patients, families and staff
Funded by: BSPCC

• Guidelines for the Handling of Palliative Care Medicines in Community Services, 2018

Focus: To update the 2015 version of the guidelines around medication management for service providers caring for patients receiving home-based palliative care as part of the caring@home project
Funded by: Australian Department of Health, National Palliative Care Grants  
Further information: Palliative Care Guidelines

• Guidelines for the Handling of Medication in Community-Based Palliative Care Services in Queensland, 2015

Focus: To update the 2010 version of the guidelines around medication management for service providers caring for patients receiving home-based palliative care
Funded by: BSPCC
Further information: Guidelines for the handling of medication in community based palliative care services in Queensland

• National Standards Assessment Program (NSAP), 2011 -

Focus: To undertake evidence-based self-assessment against the National Palliative Care Standards in order to aim for continuous quality improvement across MSPCS
Funded by: Palliative Care Australia via Australian Government Dept of Health & Ageing 

2011 – 2012

• Statewide implementation of the residential aged care end of life care pathway (RAC EoLCP) in Queensland Health RACFs,

Focus: To develop a sustainable model for implementation of the RAC EoLCP across all Queensland Health RACFs with high care beds
Funded by: Older People’s Health and Extended Care Unit, Queensland Health
Further information: http://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/raceolcp

• ‘Train the Trainer’ Transition to Niki T34 Syringe Pump Education and Resource Package

Focus: To develop and implement a ‘Train the Trainer’ manual prior to the rollout of the Niki syringe driver pumps across the Metro South Health Service District  
Funded by: Metro South Health Service District, Queensland Health  
Further information: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cpcre/subcutaneous/printdocs.asp

• Standardisation of Metro South Palliative Care Service Processes and Documentation

Focus: To ensure standardisation of processes and documents across all MSPCS sites e.g. MSPCS brochures, welcome and home death packs, referral forms
Funded by: MSPCS and BSPCC

2009 - 2011

• Implementation of an End of Life Care Pathway for those Living with Dementia in Residential Aged Care and Community Care Settings  

Focus: To adapt and implement an end of life care pathway for patients with dementia as well as up-skilling clinical staff in palliative care
Funded by: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

• Enhancing Access to Palliative Care for People Living with Advanced Heart Failure

Focus: To map current care and identify barriers for patients with end-stage heart failure to access palliative care with the aim of developing a model of care that facilitates provision of palliative care for this vulnerable group within MSHSD
Funded by: Southside Partnership Council  

2008 - 2011

• Development and implementation of the Palliative Care Clinical Information Management System (PCCIMS) within Metro South Palliative Care Services

Funded by: Department of Health and Ageing / Qld Health & MSHSD Information Division

Publications in peer reviewed journals

Scott IA et al. (2022) Australian Health Review 46(4), 442–449. https://doi:10.1071/AH22099 A whole-of-community program of advance care planning for end-of-life care (csiro.au)

Reymond L, Parker G, Gilles L, Cooper K (2018) Home-based palliative care. Australian Journal of General Practice, Volume 47, No.11, November 2018 https://doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-06-18-4607 https://www1.racgp.org.au/AJGP/2018/November/Home-based-palliative-care

Healy S, Israel F, Charles M, Reymond L (2018) Laycarers can confidently prepare and administer subcutaneous injections for palliative care patients at home: A randomized controlled trial. Palliative Medicine 2018, Vol.32(7) 1208-1215 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0269216318773878

Reymond L, Cooper K, Parker D, Chapman M. End-of-life care: Proactive clinical management of older Australians in the community. Australian Family Physician. 2016; 45(1):76-78 https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2016/januaryfebruary/end-of-life-care-proac...

Scott I, Rajakaruna N, Shah D, Miller L, Reymond E, Daly M. Normalising advance care planning in a general medicine service of a tertiary hospital: an exploratory study. Australian Health Review. 2015; A-H. Available from: http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/AH15068.htm

Parker D, Clifton K, Tuckett A, Walker H, Reymond L, Prior T, McAnelly K, Jenkin P, Israel F. Palliative care case conferences in long term care: view of family members. International Journal of Older People Nursing. 2015; 11(2): 140-8. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/opn.12105

Porche K, Reymond L, O'Callaghan J, & Charles M (2014). Depression in Palliative Care Patients: A Survey of Assessment and Treatment Practices of Australian and New Zealand Palliative Care Specialists. Australian Health Review. 2014; 38(1): 44-50. https://experts.griffith.edu.au/publication/nab8b253bec38ca9798781e5d813...

Tuckett AG, Parker D, Clifton K, Glaetzer K, Greeve K, Israel F, Jenkin P, Prior T, Reymond L & Walker H. (2014). What general practitioners said about the palliative care case conference in residential aged care: An Australian perspective. Part 1. Progress in Palliative Care, 22(2), 61–68. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1743291X13Y.0000000066

Scott IA, Mitchell GK, Reymond LR, Daly MP (2013). Difficult but Necessary Conversations – the Case for Advance Care Planning. Medical Journal Australia. 2013; 199(10): 662-666. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/10/difficult-necessary-conversat...

Tuckett A, Parker D, Clifton K, Walker H, Reymond L, Prior T, Jenkin P, Israel F, Greeve K, Glaetzer K. What general practitioners said about the palliative care case conference in residential aged care: An Australian perspective. Part 2. Progress in Palliative Care. 2013; 23(1): 9-17. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256841781_What_General_Practiti...

Tuckett A, Parker D, Clifton K, Glaetzer K, Greeve K, Israel F, Jenkin P, Prior T, Reymond L, Walker H. What general practitioners said about the palliative care case conference in residential aged care: An Australian perspective. Part 1. Progress in Palliative Care. 2013; 22(2): 61-68. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1743291X13Y.0000000066

Healy S, Reymond L, Israel F, Charles MA (2012). An Educational Package that Supports Laycarers to Manage Breakthrough Subcutaneous Injections for Home-based Palliative Care Patients. Palliat Med published online 21 November 2012 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0269216312464262

Reymond L, Israel FJ, Charles MA (2011). A Residential Aged Care End-of-Life Care Pathway (RAC EoLCP) for Australian Aged Care Facilities. Australian Health Review, 35, 350–356 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21871198

Tuckett A, Parker D, Clifton K, Glaetzer K, Greeve K, Israel F, Jenkin P, McAnelly K, Prior T, Reymond E, Walker H (2011). A Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care – the General Practitioners’ Viewpoints. International Journal of Evidence Based Healthcare 9 (3) 2011 S:330 (Supplement)

Israel F, Parker G, Charles M, Reymond L (2010). Lack of Benefit from Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) for Palliative Cancer Patients Requiring High-Dose Strong Opioids: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial. Journal of Pain and Symptom Measurement, 39 (3), 548-554 https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(09)01138-5/pdf

Israel F, Reymond L, Slade G, Menadue S, Charles M (2008). Lay caregivers' perspectives on injecting sub-cutaneous medications at home. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 14, 390-396 https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/10.12968/ijpn.2008.14.8.30774

Charles MA, Reymond L, Israel F (2008). Relief of Incident Dyspnea in Palliative Cancer Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Nebulized Hydromorphone, Systemic Hydromorphone and Nebulized Saline. Journal of Pain and Symptom Measurement, 36 (1), 29-38 https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(08)00066-3/pdf

Israel F, Slade G, Menadue S, Reymond L, & Charles M (2006). Management of sub-cutaneous medication administration in the home - a lay caregivers perspective. In O. & A. E. M. Ltd (Ed.), 

Reymond L, Israel F, & Charles M (2006). The use of nebulised hydromorphone for the treatment of episodic dyspnoea in palliative patients – a randomised controlled trial. In O. & A. E. M. Ltd (Ed.),

Hardy J, Reymond E and Charles M (2005). Acetaminophen in Cancer Pain. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 23 (7), 1586 http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2005.05.239

Reymond L, Charles M, Israel F, Read T and Treston P (2005). A strategy to increase the palliative care capacity of rural primary health care providers. Australian Journal of Rural Health,13 (3), 156, 161 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1440-1854.2005.00687.x

Reymond L, Charles M, Bowman J & Treston P (2003). The effect of dexamethasone on the longevity of syringe driver subcutaneous sites in palliative care patients. Medical Journal of Australia; 178(10): 486-489 https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2003/178/10/effect-dexamethasone-longevit....