Palliative care
Palliative care is a special type of care for a person who is terminally ill and approaching the end of their life.
Territory Palliative Care (TPC) services
TPC provides palliative care services to the Northern Territory (NT) based in:
- Darwin
- Alice Springs.
The aim of palliative care is to:
- affirm life and regard dying as a normal process
- neither hasten nor prolong death
- provide relief from pain and distressing symptoms
- manage the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of patient care
- offer support to help patients maximise their quality of life
- offer support to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in bereavement
- consider the patient's choice of setting of care, including at the end of life.
TPC cares for inpatients and outpatients with a life limiting diagnosis in the last months of their lives in:
- hospitals
- hospice
- the community.
Top End TPC
The Top End TPC services operates from the hospice, which is a 12-bed stand-alone unit within the Royal Darwin Hospital campus. Inpatient and outpatient, including rural and remote, palliative care teams are based here.
The team includes medical, nursing, occupational therapy, social workers and physiotherapy staff.
Location and contact
Rocklands Drive
Casuarina NT 0810
PO Box 41326
Casuarina NT 0811
Phone: 08 8922 7962
Fax: 08 8922 7977
Central Australia TPC
In Central Australia, the service operates from the palliative care facility, a 10-bed stand-alone unit within the Alice Springs Hospital campus. The service provides:
- inpatient and outpatient support to aged-care facilities and
- patients at home in rural and remote areas.
TPC services work closely with a variety of health care professionals to provide the best care possible.
Location and contact
Alice Springs Hospital
Entrance on Simpson Street
Alice Springs NT 0870
PO Box 721
Alice Springs NT 0871
Phone: 08 8951 9198