Ms Kate Ritchie
Biography:
Kate Ritchie is a Senior Project Officer at Palliative Care Australia. With over a decade of experience as a Registered Nurse in critical care, particularly in regional New South Wales, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Kate has previously worked as a Clinical Nurse Educator and an Education Development Officer. She is currently pursuing a Master of Nursing with a focus on clinical education. Kate is dedicated to empowering health professionals to provide high-quality palliative care. In her current position, she leads initiatives to promote and integrate the National Palliative Care Standards, assisting specialist palliative care providers, health professionals, and aged care services in continuous quality improvement across various settings.
Abstract:
Palliative Care Australia (PCA), as the national peak body for palliative and end-of-life care, provides a comprehensive framework to ensure equitable access to high-quality, person-centred palliative care.
The PCA Quality Improvement Suite encompasses essential resources, including the Palliative Care Service Development Guidelines with a Paediatric Addendum (2018), the National Palliative Care Standards for Specialist Providers (5.1 Ed., 2024), and the Standards for All Health Professionals and Aged Care Services (2022). Together, these resources outline the essential components of safe and effective palliative care, particularly given the expected doubling of demand for such services by 2030.
In 2023, PCA undertook a limited-scope review that integrated feedback from across the sector. This led to the release of updated Standards and the development of downloadable Palliative Care Self-Assessment (PaCSA) packs. These tools are designed to support continuous quality improvement and ensure compliance with mandatory accreditation frameworks, such as the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and Strengthened Aged Care Standards.
To build confidence among health care professionals in delivering high-quality palliative care, PCA launched a Community of Practice (CoP), using a social approach to learning. This CoP fosters peer engagement, collaborative problem-solving and the exchange of practical strategies through community forums, live webinars and workplace resources. It enables rural and remote services to connect, share experiences and reflect on their practice. This presentation will illustrate how the revised Standards, PaCSA packs, and CoP collaboratively support those working in rural and remote healthcare settings in providing high-quality palliative and end-of-life care.