Palliative Care Australia supports the vision of the Draft National Allied Health Workforce Strategy. Workforce planning is key to meeting growing demand for palliative care over the next decade, as numbers of Australian reaching old age increases rapidly.

Allied health professionals provide palliative care in all Australian health care settings: acute, sub-acute, community and ambulatory. Each allied health profession brings knowledge and capability essential to each patient’s care needs. Allied health professionals help to identify and respond to patient priorities and provide physical and psychological interventions to optimise quality of life.

PCA recommends that:

• Improving allied health capability and skills to provide palliative care be a priority future action to sustain and retain this workforce.
• The National Allied Health Strategy include a clear definition of the allied health professions to be supported by the Strategy.
• Annual public reporting against the Strategy’s implementation plan be required.
• Australian, State and Territory Health Ministers agree on levels of investment and responsibility for actions under the Strategy and implementation plan.

PCA Submission to National Allied Health Workforce Strategy Feb 2025.pdf