Nurses in palliative care

The nursing needs of patients with palliative care needs range from general care to complex and specialist symptom management. Any nurse should be able to provide generalist palliative care but specialist palliative care nurses and nurse practitioners are vital to the management of patients with complex problems.

Community nursing services vary widely, from general nursing teams to specialised palliative care nursing teams. In some settings (rural and remote) specialist palliative care nurses may be the sole healthcare professionals involved in day-to-day care; they may also coordinate palliative care or provide consultation services to generalist nursing teams. Generalist nurses are increasingly undertaking advanced training in palliative care (especially those working in residential aged-care facilities). Community nurses are familiar with local resources available to assist in the care of patients with palliative care needs in the community.

Availability of generalist and specialist palliative care community nursing services varies—some services offer 24-hour access while others are available only during normal office hours. A cost may be involved in accessing some of these nursing services. Generalist and specialist palliative care community nursing services usually provide a few hours of care a day at most, and the majority of care will need to be provided by family and carers.