Care type · 44 listed providers
Palliative care — Australian aged-care providers + guide
Palliative care in residential aged care is end-of-life care delivered on-site, avoiding hospital transfer in the final weeks or days. Australian residential aged-care homes that offer palliative pathway capability allow residents to die in place — supported by their familiar staff, in their own room — when this aligns with their advance care directive.
★Key takeaways
- ✓44 verified Australian residential aged-care providers offering palliative care, ranked by ACQSC star rating.
- ✓You or your family member values dying in place rather than hospital, has a progressive condition where end-of-life is foreseeable, or you simply want assurance that the care home you're choosing today will be capable of caring for you at the end. Worth specifying this preference even years in advance — most residents end up needing palliative care eventually.
- ✓Palliative care within a residential aged care home is funded via AN-ACC. There is no separate palliative care fee. The basic daily fee, means-tested fee and accommodation costs continue as normal during palliative care. Some Extra Service Fees (e.g. for premium room services) may be paused or adjusted on request during active end-of-life care.
- ✓Source: My Aged Care provider register + ACQSC star ratings + provider-published service-type schedules.
In depth
What palliative care actually means
Most Australian residential aged-care homes provide some level of end-of-life care but the standard varies dramatically. Strong palliative-capable homes have **registered-nurse availability 24/7** (essential for managing breakthrough pain + symptom control), **established relationships with local palliative care teams** (specialist consultation availability), **clear advance care directive processes** that ensure resident wishes are respected, and **family accommodation arrangements** for end-of-life visits.
Look for homes with formal accreditation in palliative care: the **End of Life Care in the Community** (ELC) standard, **PEPA** (Program of Experience in Palliative Approach) training for staff, or named on the **Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration** (PCOC) program. Faith-based providers historically have stronger palliative emphasis — Hammond, Catholic Healthcare, Anglicare and Salvos all build palliative capability into their core service model.
The alternative pathway is hospital transfer for end-of-life care — generally avoided where possible since transfer itself is distressing for frail residents + hospitals are not optimised for unrushed death. Around 70% of Australians say they want to die at home or in their care residence; only ~50% achieve this. Choice of aged-care home directly affects this outcome.
Quality markers to look for
- 24/7 registered-nurse coverage (essential)
- Established specialist palliative care team relationships
- Advance care directive process embedded
- Family accommodation for end-of-life visits
- PEPA-trained or PCOC-program staff
- Symptom-control medications (syringe drivers etc) on-site
- Bereavement support for family + staff
Choose this care type if
You or your family member values dying in place rather than hospital, has a progressive condition where end-of-life is foreseeable, or you simply want assurance that the care home you're choosing today will be capable of caring for you at the end. Worth specifying this preference even years in advance — most residents end up needing palliative care eventually.
Cost
Palliative care within a residential aged care home is funded via AN-ACC. There is no separate palliative care fee. The basic daily fee, means-tested fee and accommodation costs continue as normal during palliative care. Some Extra Service Fees (e.g. for premium room services) may be paused or adjusted on request during active end-of-life care.
Directory · ACQSC-ranked
44 verified Australian providers offering palliative care
Sorted by ACQSC star rating descending, then bed count. Each provider verified against My Aged Care + ACQSC quarterly ratings.
Adelaide · Resthaven Marion
5★Resthaven
Uniting Church SA aged-care arm; consistently among the highest ACQSC-rated providers in SA, operating 12 residential ho…
Sydney · Catholic Healthcare St Joseph Aged Care (Hunters Hill)
5★Catholic Healthcare
One of the largest Catholic-affiliated providers in NSW with over 40 homes across NSW and QLD. Founded by the Sisters of…
Sydney · Hunters Hill Montefiore Home
4★Montefiore
Australia's pre-eminent Jewish aged-care provider, established 1889. Three Sydney campuses: Hunters Hill, Randwick and W…
Perth · SwanCare Ningana
4★SwanCare
Operates Western Australia's largest single-site retirement village (Bentley Park, 13 hectares, 700+ residents) co-locat…
Brisbane · Churches of Christ Wheller Gardens (Chermside)
4★Churches of Christ
Churches of Christ in QLD; one of the state's largest single-site retirement and aged-care precincts, with 28 residentia…
Brisbane · Wesley Mission Queensland Sinnamon Village
4★Wesley Mission Queensland (BlueCare partnership)
Uniting Church-aligned mission established 1907; one of the largest single-site continuing-care precincts in QLD, co-loc…
Perth · Hall & Prior Concorde (Carlisle) — Mosman Park HQ
4★Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group
Family-owned WA/NSW operator with around 30 homes split between the two states; multiple Italian and Greek CALD-speciali…
Brisbane · Bolton Clarke Tarragindi (formerly Trinder Park)
4★Bolton Clarke
Australia's oldest charitable aged-care provider (founded 1885 as the Royal District Nursing Service), operating 88 resi…
Perth · Juniper Hilltop (Balcatta)
4★Juniper
Uniting Church WA aged-care arm; one of Australia's largest providers of remote-Indigenous aged care, with sites in the …
Brisbane · Catholic Healthcare St Vincent's Bethania
4★Catholic Healthcare
Sponsored by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan; runs 47+ homes across NSW and South-East QLD with strong CALD chaplaincy…
Adelaide · Estia Health Daw Park
4★Estia Health (Bolton Group)
Privatised in 2023 via Bain Capital takeover (delisted from ASX); operates around 75 homes nationally including six in m…
Perth · Brightwater The Cove (Mandurah) and Inglewood — HQ in Inglewood
4★Brightwater Care Group
WA-only community provider with a national reputation in younger-onset dementia, brain injury rehab and the Brightwater …
Brisbane · Opal Raceview (Ipswich)
4★Opal HealthCare
Australia's largest private residential aged-care operator (130+ homes nationally) following the 2018 acquisition of Dom…
Adelaide · ACH Group Yankalilla Centre / Highercombe (Hope Valley) — Mile End HQ
4★ACH Group
Founded by the Anglican and Methodist Churches of SA; runs 12 residential sites and the 'Good Lives for Older People' re…
Perth · Amana Living James Brown Care Centre (Bull Creek)
4★Amana Living
Anglican Diocese of Perth aged-care provider; runs 12 residential homes and the Amana Living Training Institute, one of …
Adelaide · Eldercare The Lodge (Glenside)
4★Eldercare
South Australia–only community NFP with 13 residential homes; founded by SA business and church leaders to provide non-d…
Brisbane · Anglicare Symes Thorpe Toowoomba sister site — Brisbane HQ at Sandgate (Symes Grove)
4★Anglicare Southern Queensland
Anglican Church Southern Queensland's social-services arm; runs 22 residential homes across QLD and was one of Australia…
Brisbane · Regis Aspley
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Aspley is one of seven Regis facilities in metro Brisbane…
Adelaide · Helping Hand Mawson Lakes
4★Helping Hand Aged Care
Uniting Church SA founder; one of SA's largest providers of remote-Indigenous home care across the APY Lands and Far Nor…
Perth · MercyCare Place Joondalup
4★Mercy Care
Sisters of Mercy Catholic-aligned WA provider; one of the state's oldest social-services organisations and the founder o…
Adelaide · Regis Marleston
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Marleston is the largest of three Regis facilities in met…
Perth · Regis Como (formerly Lakeside)
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Como is one of three Regis sites in metro Perth and sits …
Melbourne · Nellie Melba Retirement Village Aged Care Centre (Wheelers Hill)
4★Ryman Healthcare
NZ-headquartered (NZX:RYM) integrated retirement village + aged-care operator. Multiple Melbourne villages with continuu…
Brisbane · Carmel by the Sea (Cleveland)
4★Star of the Sea Aged Care
Single-site Catholic-aligned operator on Brisbane's bayside; one of QLD's most consistent four-star ACQSC performers amo…
Sydney · Bolton Clarke Greenwood (Normanhurst)
4★Bolton Clarke
Australia's largest not-for-profit aged-care provider. Lineage to RSL Care + Royal District Nursing Service Australia (R…
Adelaide · Southern Cross Care Bucklands (Glen Osmond)
4★Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC
Knights of the Southern Cross Catholic-aligned operator; runs 14 residential homes across SA, NT and VIC including the o…
Sydney · Anglicare The Terraces Residential Care (Paddington)
4★Anglicare Sydney
Anglican Diocese of Sydney, established 1856. Over 20 residential homes plus retirement villages and home care across Gr…
Perth · Rosewood Leederville
4★Rosewood Care Group
Single-site community NFP in inner-Perth; Rainbow Tick accredited and one of WA's most visibly LGBTI-friendly residentia…
Perth · Bethanie Subiaco
4★Bethanie
WA's largest not-for-profit aged-care provider, founded by the Uniting Church (formerly Methodist Homes WA); operates 12…
Melbourne · Benetas St Paul's Terrace (Frankston South)
4★Benetas
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne aged-care provider since 1948. Victoria-only footprint, around 11 residential homes plus h…
Melbourne · Estia Health Plenty Valley (South Morang)
4★Estia Health
For-profit operator with around 70 homes nationally. Publicly-traded on ASX (EHE) until taken private by Bain Capital in…
Sydney · Belmore Place Care Community (Lakemba)
4★Opal HealthCare
Privately-held for-profit operator with around 100 homes nationally. AMP Capital was historically a major investor.
Sydney · St Vincent's Care Services Edgecliff
4★St Vincent's Care Services
Part of St Vincent's Health Australia, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1857. Hospital-aligned aged-care provider wi…
Melbourne · Gary Smorgon House / Melbourne Hebrew Memorial Nursing Home (Caulfield)
4★Jewish Care Victoria
Australia's largest Jewish community-care organisation, lineage to 1848. Kosher catering, Hebrew-aware care, integrated …
Perth · Aegis Greenfields (Mosman Park)
3★Aegis Aged Care
WA's largest private residential aged-care operator with around 30 homes statewide; family-founded by the Charatsis fami…
Melbourne · Mercy Place Parkville
3★Mercy Health
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846. One of Victoria's largest Catholic NFP health and aged-care providers; hospital…
Brisbane · Ozcare Bowen Hills Aged Care Facility
3★Ozcare
Founded by the Catholic Diocese of Cairns; QLD-only operator with 15 residential homes and a flagship homelessness-pathw…
Sydney · HammondCare Hammondville (Bond House)
3★HammondCare
National pioneer of small-cottage dementia care. Independent Christian charity. HammondCare's Dementia Centre publishes …
Adelaide · Lutheran Homes Glynde Lodge
3★Lutheran Homes Group
Lutheran Church of Australia–SA District provider; strong German-Australian heritage with five residential homes and a l…
Brisbane · Bupa Mt Gravatt
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of UK-headquartered Bupa Group (private health insurance + healthcare); operates around 60 aged-care home…
Perth · Bupa South Perth
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of UK-headquartered Bupa Group; operates around 60 aged-care homes nationally including three in metro Pe…
Melbourne · Calvary Huntly Suites (Caulfield South / Calvary Kooyong precinct)
3★Calvary Aged Care
Operated by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary since 1885. Acquired Japara Healthcare in 2021, becoming one of th…
Sydney · Bupa Queens Park
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of Bupa Group (UK-headquartered private healthcare). Operates around 60 homes nationally including multip…
Sydney · The Village by Scalabrini (Drummoyne)
Scalabrini
Not-for-profit Catholic provider founded by the Scalabrinian Fathers to serve Italian-Australians. Italian-language and …
Common questions
Palliative care — common questions
Can my parent die in their aged-care home, not in hospital?
Yes — if the home has palliative capability and your advance care directive specifies preference for in-place end-of-life care. Most residential aged care homes can provide this with appropriate planning, but quality varies. Confirm at tour: 24/7 registered-nurse coverage, established palliative care team contacts, ability to provide subcutaneous medications + syringe drivers if needed.
What's an advance care directive + when should I make one?
A legal document specifying your wishes for medical treatment when you cannot speak for yourself, including end-of-life decisions. Should be made BEFORE entering aged care (or in the first weeks of admission), not deferred until cognitive decline makes informed decision-making impossible. Each state has its own form (Statutory Health Directive in WA, ACD in VIC, etc). Free legal advice via Older Persons Advocacy Network. See our <a href="/guides/advance-care-directive-australia-2026/" class="text-[var(--vbrand)] underline">ACD guide</a>.
Will palliative care cost extra?
No. Palliative care within residential aged care is funded via the resident's standard AN-ACC classification — there is no additional fee. The basic daily fee, means-tested care fee and accommodation costs continue as normal. Some specialist palliative consultations (palliative care physician home visits) may have Medicare item costs but these are usually bulk-billed for aged-care residents.
How do I know if a home will provide good end-of-life care?
Ask directly at tour: "If [my parent / I] needed palliative care here, who manages that? Can you cite a recent example?" A confident answer with named processes (specialist contact, family room availability, syringe driver capability) is reassuring. Vague or hospital-referral responses are a flag. Also check the home's last ACQSC accreditation report for any palliative-care-related notes.