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Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration

National Palliative Care Coordination project

Project Overview

The National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) Project aims to enhance the capacity and capability of general practice in identifying palliative care needs and ensuring timely, needs-based referrals to specialist palliative care services. Funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care through a palliative care innovation grant, this initiative seeks to address gaps in palliative care access, particularly for individuals with life-limiting illnesses beyond cancer

Background & Rationale

Currently, a significant proportion of specialist palliative care referrals (≈70%) originate from acute hospitals, with only 15% initiated by GPs. This results in unmet care needs, increased hospitalisations, and limited access for non-cancer patients requiring palliative care support. The NPCC Project seeks to bridge this gap by equipping general practice GPs and practice staff with evidence-based screening tools, clinical procedures, and referral pathways to improve patient outcomes.

 

Project Objectives

  • Implement a screening and needs assessment protocol (SNAP) in general practice to enhance early identification and management of palliative care needs.
  • Develop a structured training package to support GPs, nurses, and practice managers in integrating palliative care screening into primary care workflows.
  • Evaluate the impact of SNAP on screening rates, referrals to specialist palliative care, and patient outcomes, with a focus on addressing disparities in access.
  • Support PHNs in integrating palliative care best practices within their service models by utilising evidence-based assessment tools.
  • Provide recommendations for a national rollout of a GP-led palliative care approach.

 

To enquire about the NPCC project, please email NPCC-contact@uow.edu.au or contact Project Manager, Stacey Heer on sheer@uow.edu.au.

The NPCC project team

Sabina Clapham is a healthcare clinician and leader specialising in palliative care outcomes, quality improvement, and education. As Director of the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) and Coordinating Investigator for the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) Project, she has led the national implementation of patient outcome measures, enhancing the quality, sustainability and impact of palliative care services across Australia.

Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Wollongong, Sabina’s research focuses on defining health service capabilities in palliative care. Her work has attracted $12.5 million in research funding, with outputs including eight peer-reviewed publications, over 1,000 non-traditional outputs, seven conference presentations, and six keynote addresses across five countries. Sabina’s outcome measurement protocols are implemented in more than 200 Australian palliative care services, benefiting 65,000 patients annually. 

P: (02) 4239 2372
E: sabinac@uow.edu.au

To be announced. 

Dr. Poudel holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Queensland (UQ) and has over 15 years of experience in pharmacy education, research, and practice across Nepal, Canada, and Australia. A recognized expert in aging, pharmacotherapy for frail older adults, and palliative care, he specializes in developing research-driven learning environments that foster academic excellence and innovation

His research has influenced policy changes and earned academic recognition. Beyond academia, he has served on university committees, engaged in community outreach programs, and reviewed for leading journals and funding bodies.  He has also supervised PhD and Master's candidates in both academic and industrial settings at multiple institutions and levels of responsibility.

P: (02) 4239 2146
E: apoudel@uow.edu.au

Animut received his PhD in Public Health from the University of Technology Sydney in 2023 and joined the NPCC project at the University of Wollongong in 2024. Before joining this role, Animut gained significant experience as a casual academic and research assistant in the School of Public Health at UTS. Additionally, he served as a full-time lecturer at Debre Markos University in Ethiopia. Animut has a profound interest in employing advanced statistical analysis across various health domains, including palliative care, infectious diseases, child malnutrition, chronic diseases, neonatal health, and maternal health.

P: (02) 4239 2026
E: aayalew@uow.edu.au

Stacey has qualifications in psychology and palliative care. She has worked previously in a regional palliative care team as the psychosocial support coordinator and various community health roles. More recently Stacey was the Healthy Ageing and Palliative Care Manager with Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network, where she developed a PCOC model of care for general practice, in collaboration with the PCOC team. Stacey joined the PCOC team as the National Education Lead in 2023 and is also undertaking the role of Project Manager for the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) project. Stacey is particularly interested in improving access to timely, quality palliative care for all Australians.

P: (02) 4239 4632
E: sheer@uow.edu.au

Keryn joined the NPCC project in February 2025 and has a background in Physiotherapy, working throughout the Illawarra and Sydney Health Districts through 1983-2000, mainly in neurological rehabilitation. She completed a Master of Public Health (2005) and PhD (2010) at UOW and has worked on a casual or part-time basis as a researcher at UOW since 2006, as well as working as a Physiotherapist in Aged Care (2016-2019). She has managed or been a co-investigator in a wide range of mixed method research projects over the past 16 years, as well as extensive teaching expertise through working for the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences/Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wollongong. She is interested in the use of mixed method research methodologies, particularly in evaluation, and working with vulnerable populations to improve health and wellbeing.

P: (02) 4221 5214
E: kerynj@uow.edu.au

Linda joined AHOC at UOW in 2009 after extensive experience working in aged and community care program management in both the Commonwealth Government and community sectors. In AHOC, Linda has provided administrative and project support to the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), the Centre for Health Research Illawarra Shoalhaven Population (CHRISP) and the electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC). Linda joined the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) project in November 2024.

P: (02) 4221 5092
E: lindaf@uow.edu.au