Earlier conversations, better choices

At a glance 

• 127 community members contributed to the Palliative Care Health Needs Assessment survey  

• 4 priorities identified: earlier understanding, stronger coordination, workforce capability and better data  

• Growing demand for palliative care in Murrumbidgee  

Palliative care is about much more than a person’s final days. Yet a comprehensive new Health Needs Assessment (HNA) developed by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) in 2025-2026 has found that across the Murrumbidgee, it is still commonly understood as care provided only when someone is approaching death. 

Completed as part of the Australian Government’s Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care program, the HNA brought together population and service data with insights from community members, carers and health professionals to understand current and emerging need, service capacity and gaps across the region.  

The findings point to growing demand. Murrumbidgee has one of the nation’s oldest population profiles and the third-highest rate of palliative care hospitalisations among PHNs, while access to specialist palliative care physicians and GPs remains constrained, particularly in smaller rural communities.  

Importantly, the assessment also identified an opportunity to change how people think about palliative care. 

“There is still a great deal of misconception that palliative care is essentially around the dying process rather than a focus on maintaining quality of life for as long as possible,” MPHN Palliative Care Project Officer Julie Mecham said.  

Earlier identification and conversations can give people and their families more time to understand their options, plan for what matters to them and access appropriate physical, emotional, social and cultural support. The HNA identified improving community and provider understanding as an immediate priority, alongside clearer referral pathways, stronger coordination between services and greater workforce capability.  

For Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT) Riverina Area Manager Amanda Cleary Schofield, those conversations are particularly important in residential aged care. 

“The earlier and more open conversations are the better,” she said. “We try to do the Advance Care Directive on admission so we can assess what is bearable and unbearable for different residents, their families and their values.”  

Ms Cleary Schofield said good palliative care meant being “listened to, heard, seen and known”, with skilled practitioners who understand each person’s values and can confidently advocate for their needs.  

The HNA will now provide an evidence base for MPHN’s future planning, commissioning and service improvement, with a focus on earlier conversations, clearer pathways, better support for carers and families and more equitable access across rural and priority communities.  

“It’s about ensuring that we have a healthy ecosystem for palliative care that supports people feeling comfortable and confident to make choices that are going to best suit them, their carers and families,” Ms Mecham said.