The Australian Government Department of Health is currently undertaking a project to study Australia’s palliative care workforce and project the demand for, and supply of, palliative care services into the future. As part of this work, HealthConsult has been engaged to analyse the composition of the palliative care workforce, undertake workforce demand and supply modelling, and develop strategies to address findings. This analysis will directly support and guide future palliative care workforce policy and strategies.

Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) has launched a new digital referral form designed for health professionals to refer their patients to their free Lung Cancer Support Nurse telephone service. This services aims to bridge the gap in lung cancer care and provides an additional layer of support to the care provided by the treating team.

In the context of rising gonorrhoea and syphilis notifications, the Queensland Health sexually transmissible infection (STI) and blood borne virus (BBV) testing tool has been updated and is available for use in primary care now. The revision includes new recommendations for asymptomatic men who have sex with men, and other clinical feedback.