To ensure PACOP’s continued relevance to the communities it serves, the program has a governance structure and evaluation program that seeks continued engagement with and feedback from the sector.
The Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP) is a national voluntary program aimed at improving the care and outcomes of all Australians receiving aged care with a particular focus on those who are approaching the end of their life and require palliative care. PACOP is one of four outcomes programs which make up the Australasian Health Outcomes Consortium (AHOC) in the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health (SMAH) at the University of Wollongong and is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care since 2021.
A national education and training program supports increased capacity for palliative care within the aged care workforce. PACOP provides benchmarking reports to member aged care homes every six months. State-wide and national reports are also provided. PACOP works collaboratively with aged care organisations and other stakeholder organisations throughout Australia to implement the program and support continuous improvements in residents’ end of life outcomes. The PACOP Quality Improvement Datasets and the Research Registry are held at the University of Wollongong. Data is accessible to policymakers and researchers on request and subject to UoW & PACOP approval process.