The Role of Primary Care in an Ageing Population

A blog by Emma Walsh, Policy Analyst, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association Limited (AHHA Ltd)

Meeting people where they are: the role of primary care in palliative care

Palliative care needs are highly complex and evolve quickly, demanding flexible models of care that embrace a multidisciplinary care approach across acute, primary, specialist, community, residential, and aged care settings.

Primary care is well placed to provide and coordinate care across a diversity of settings, with a range of health and social support professions and backgrounds important to the palliative care team. As the first point of contact within the health system, primary care providers are often the first to identify when and what kind of palliative care is needed.

Their trusted, ongoing relationships with the older person places them in a vital position as an advocate for aligning their care with the values, wishes and goals of the person. In navigating what are often sensitive conversations about prognosis and end of life, they are well positioned to not just support the older person, but their family and community.

Yet the current reality of delivering care in community settings is complex, with additional time often needed to coordinate with aged care providers, travel to patients’ homes, and respond to rapidly evolving care demands. These responsibilities add to already demanding clinical and administrative workloads. For many providers working within their own practices, this also means balancing patient care with the challenges of managing a small business while keeping up to date with evolving clinical guidelines and best practices in end-of-life care.

So, while primary care professionals value their role in providing palliative care, and are seeing increasing demand for it, long-term delivery remains constrained by these challenges of insufficient remuneration, workforce capacity, and practice support [1].

In this constrained operating environment, what is needed now is support for the primary care workforce to deliver quality palliative and end-of-life care. Through the provision of evidence-informed, accessible and timely information, guidance and resources, practitioners can return to the work that they value and deliver the person-centred care that we all expect and deserve at end-of-life.

Tools for change: the Primary Care Toolkit

As the custodians, AHHA is pleased to share that the Primary Care Toolkit has recently been updated to reflect these challenges, and the evolving needs of the sector. The updated Toolkit brings together practical, accessible information, tools, and resources to guide primary care professionals and practices in delivering safe, coordinated, and person-centred palliative and end-of-life care.

The first section of the Toolkit, Clinical Action, is structured around the ELDAC Care Model, which maps the pathway of people approaching end of life to align care by need across sectors. This section focuses on clinical assessment and care planning, offering actions, tools, and resources to guide primary care professionals working across settings and diverse teams in providing person-centred, coordinated palliative care.

The second section, Business and Practice Management, supports primary care practices in the practical delivery of palliative and end-of-life care. It brings together information on funding opportunities, digital tools, and workforce supports – capturing the realities of running a practice within a complex operating environment. Resources are included to help teams manage the dual responsibilities of providing quality care while maintaining business stability.

The final section highlights the education and learning opportunities available in Continuing Professional Development, tailored for the intersection of primary and palliative care. It includes targeted content for general practitioners, nurses, and practice managers, spanning foundational knowledge, specialised areas of practice, working with diverse populations, and building critical communication skills.

 

Emma Walsh, Policy Analyst
Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association Limited