Palliative Care Connect is a new statewide service for South Australia that recognises the community needs access to information, advice and connection within the community. It aims to increase access to palliative care services in the community, by giving patients and their families better information about available services, smoother transition between types of care, and better support into end-of-life care pathways.

Palliative Care Navigators are now available through an information line to provide information and service linkages to palliative care and bereavement supports in South Australia. The information line is available for people with life-limiting illnesses and their family members, friends, and carers, as well as healthcare professionals.

Palliative care is a family-centred model of care, meaning that family, friends, and carers can also receive practical and emotional support in their caring role and in grief and bereavement. Palliative Care Connect aims to help people needing palliative care or supporting someone with a life limiting illness to make choices aligned with their culture and preferences.

This new service is a wonderful companion to the CarerHelp website which already brings together a range of tools, videos, and information to support carers.

If you live in South Australia, you can talk to a Palliative Care Navigator. Call 1800 725 548 (PALLI8), available Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4.00 pm or email health.pcnavigation@sa.gov.au. Voicemail will be available after hours for a call back the following business day.

Palliative Care Connect is funded by the Australian Government through the Palliative Care Navigation Pilot program.