Supporting palliative care in general practice

Around 70% of Australians say they would prefer to die at home, yet only around 14% do. As more people live with frailty, dementia and chronic disease, general practice plays an increasingly important role in supporting people to remain at home and receive high-quality palliative and end-of-life care. Regional Palliative Care Roundtables Healthy North Coast

Dying to Know Day: Starting conversations about what matters

Dying to Know Day is coming up on 8 August 2026, to encourage more open conversations about death, dying and grief. For those of us working in primary care, it’s a good reminder that conversations about end of life don’t need to wait until someone is approaching their final days. GPs, nurses, pharmacists and allied

Residential Aged Care Enhanced Primary Care Access Grant recipients announced

Healthy North Coast is pleased to announce the successful recipients of their Residential Aged Care – Enhanced Primary Care Access Grants program. These grants have been awarded following an expression of interest process and panel evaluation. Recognising the unique challenges associated with delivering primary care to residents in aged care homes – particularly in areas

Improving recognition of mental health needs at end of life

Anxiety, depression, and demoralisation are common for people living with life-limiting illness, yet symptoms can sometimes be overlooked. The updated End-of-Life Essentials Patient Mental Health module explores how to identify when additional support may be needed, and provides practical guidance for compassionate, person-centred care. It also highlights the importance of self-care and supporting colleagues, recognising

Lead teams with confidence: Clinical skills & telehealth trainer program for aged care nurses 

Residential aged care homes across the Mid North Coast and Northern NSW are invited to express interest in a new ‘train-the-trainer’ program focused on telehealth and clinical decision-making. Developed in partnership between Healthy North Coast and the University Centre for Rural Health, the program supports educators and clinical leaders to build capability within their own

Regional Aged Care Connect meetings strengthen collaboration across the North Coast

Healthy North Coast’s Healthy Living and Ageing team has launched the first Regional Aged Care Connect meetings, a new forum bringing together residential aged care services and health partners to strengthen local communication and collaboration. Two inaugural meetings were held: One in Port Macquarie, hosted by RSL LifeCare and chaired by HNC’s Jane Moye And

New palliative care resources now available for your patients & practice

Healthy North Coast has released two new resources – a Palliative Care Fact Sheet and a comprehensive Palliative Care on the North Coast Booklet – to support health professionals in guiding patients and carers through palliative and end-of-life care. Developed by HNC’s Healthy Living & Ageing team, these resources provide clear, localised information to help

Palliative Care NSW Professional Education comes to Kyogle & Grafton

Each year Palliative Care NSW (PCNSW) holds their Professional Education Day on the Friday of National Palliative Care Week. This is a great opportunity to hear about advances in palliative care, to learn from case studies, to reconnect with peers, make new connections, and to expand your clinical knowledge to support you to do the work you do. This year, the Sydney event will be live streamed to 9

Identifying and supporting carers

Healthy North Coast has launched a new dedicated webpage designed to support clinicians and general practices in recognising and engaging carers across our region. Explore the new resources here: hnc.org.au/recognising-carers   This toolkit was developed in response to feedback from our local workforce and aims to provide practical, easy to use tools, including: guidance on

Essential HealthPathways for residential aged care

Used across the health system, HealthPathways is a free, evidence based online resource developed by local clinicians for local clinicians, including RACH teams. It provides practical, localised guidance to support decision making and care for common resident needs including: Managing deterioration Cognitive decline End of life dupport Wound care Advance care planning  and much more…

Use My Health Record to support quality and continuity of care

My Health Record (MHR) is becoming a core digital tool in residential aged care, helping teams deliver safer clinical care, smoother transitions and stronger alignment with aged care reforms and the Quality Standards. If your home isn’t yet using MHR, speak with your head office or digital team about enabling access or integrating it into

Meet Anne Moehead: A lifetime of service to dementia care in regional NSW

Anne Moehead OAM, PSM is a highly respected nurse and dementia care leader whose work has shaped how older people with cognitive impairment are supported across our region in Northern NSW. With more than 3 decades in nursing, Anne was a trailblazer in psychogeriatric and dementia care, becoming one of the first nurse practitioners specialising