Department of Health

Statewide palliative care services

Overview of services providing specialist advice and support.

Key messages

Victoria's statewide palliative care services provide specialist advice and support in developing workforce capacity in particular areas of expertise.

Palliative Care Advice Service

The Palliative Care Advice ServiceExternal Link is a phone-based service for anyone seeking access to specialist guidance and advice for people living with a life-limiting illness.

The service also supports family, friends and neighbours and all healthcare workers.

Motor Neurone Disease Association

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) VictoriaExternal Link provides family support, including needs assessment, referral and equipment; community and professional education activities; and support for generalist providers who are caring for people living with motor neurone disease.

Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service

The Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service (SSBS)External Link is operated by Grief Australia.

The SSBS provides specialist bereavement counselling, builds the capacity of generalist health and community services and facilitates leadership, quality and health promotion for the bereavement sector.

Academic centres

The Palliative Care Research Network Victoria has been established to progress statewide research priorities. Palliative care research in Victoria is predominantly conducted through the following institutions, each of which undertakes research and education to help improve the quality of care for people with a life-threatening illness:

  • Centre for Palliative CareExternal Link – a collaborative of The University of Melbourne and auspiced by St Vincent’s Health, which has a research and training focus on family-centred palliative care, psychosocial care, symptom management and service delivery.
  • Palliative Care UnitExternal Link – auspiced by La Trobe University, which has a research focus on public health, pastoral care, sociological studies and supportive care.

Palliative Care Victoria

Palliative Care Victoria (PCV)External Link is the peak body for palliative care services in Victoria. PCV develops and provides information to people living with life-threatening illnesses and their families and advocates for the provision of high-quality palliative care in Victoria.

Reviewed 16 March 2026

Health.vic

Was this page helpful?