National palliative care performance indicators report

This report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, presents the findings of the 2007 national collection of performance indicator data from

Australia‘s palliative care sector, and comparisons with the results of previous collections in 2005 and 2006.

Some characteristics of palliative care agencies are also described.

The information was collected to calculate four nationally agreed performance indicators, that were developed by representatives of the states and territories and the Australian Government through the Palliative Care Intergovernmental Forum.

The indicators are based on the goals and objectives of the National Palliative Care Strategy, and provide information on the extent to which the strategy has been implemented, in areas such as strategic planning, use of standards, collection of feedback and formation of partnerships.

While the figures for three of the four indicators were positive, only 11% of the palliative care agencies routinely undertake or undergo formal assessment against the current Palliative Care

Australia standards.