Driving Change With an End-of-Life Care Road Trip

53 0

Associate Professor Kim Devery, Project Lead, End-of-Life Essentials

Wanting to reach clinicians and hospital managers who we don’t ordinary see at conferences, End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) set off on a road trip in March 2025. 

Over 2 weeks, 3 states and one territory we visited services and hospitals in country and city locations to help spread the word about safe and quality end-of-life care.  

We did not achieve our road trip goal alone. Supported by key contacts at each location, these dedicated healthcare professionals had arranged events where there was time to elaborate and educate audiences on the importance of communication when delivering end-of-life care (EOLC).

This was a conference ‘home delivered’ by EOLE and endorsed and hugely supported by a network of dedicated clinicians.  Without mentioning names, we think you are champions. 

There were many relevant issues that were common across such varied locations, for example:

• • Workforce EOLC skill set erosion from high staff turnover
  • Communities who are aging, many with chronic complex illnesses and complex EOLC needs
  • A rising trend of death rates
  • Inspiring and passionate healthcare professionals who are driving service development, education, quality and practice change.

As we travelled west of the Malley and north from the Murrumbidgee, on isolated but beautiful country, we immediately thought of all the healthcare professionals who daily traverse these lands, or similar, to deliver care and services across Australia. 

EOLE strives to reach these communities and assist with the big goals of workforce development. 

There were remarkably similar questions from the audiences at different locations, such as:

• How can I discuss end of life with a patient in the emergency department?
• Some patients don’t wish to engage with end-of-life discussions, how can I manage those conversations?
• How can I raise topics of end of life without eroding a patient’s hope?
• How can I better support junior staff?

We were able to discuss the answers to these questions on the day and we knew that our on-line resources house appropriate guidance to assist clinicians hone their skill sets on these everyday but absolutely crucial questions.

All in all, the Road Trip was a great opportunity for the project to reach out to health care professionals and communities who don’t often get the opportunity to attend conferences and hear about best practice in EOLC.  We are grateful for our network of clinicians who welcomed us, and we look forward to another trip in the not-too-distant future.

We also acknowledge and thank the Australian Government who fund EOLE and so sponsored this free Road Trip initiative.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live, and meet, and we pay our respect to their Elders, past and present.

 

Enhance your skills and prepare for common end-of-life care conversations with the End-of-Life Essentials 'Communication and Decision-Making' module.

If you’re interested in an educational visit, the project are planning a trip from Adelaide to Melbourne in May 2026. Contact the project for more information via email: eolessentials@flinders.edu.au

 

    

(L to R) Kim Devery, Project Lead, End-of-Life Essentials, Alison Hessio, Megan Day, and Louise Ambegoda, Concord Hospital, NSW.