The demand for palliative care has increased in high income countries as mortality in older adults has decreased and life expectancy increased. In this context, the priorities of palliative and end of life care (EoLC) have shifted in Australia, reflected in policy frameworks, national guidelines, service systems and funding models. However, aligning service systems and practice realities with these policy aspirations has been problematic in Australia and elsewhere. The current study investigates the recent implementation of a unique, community palliative care (CPC) programme called Heidi's Have a Go (HHaG) in regional Australia, which seemed to bridge the problematic divide between policy aspirations and practice implementation. Qualitative research was undertaken to examine the programme design and influence from the perspective of programme staff and volunteers. The data generated compelling stories on staff and patient experiences in its first 2 years, achieving service outcomes aligned with current policy and national frameworks and privileging patient voices.
Keywords: community palliative care; end of life conversations; palliative care; patient choice; patient voice.