LeafLine Clinic
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Palliative symptom support

Compassionate care focused on comfort and quality of life

AHPRA-registered Clinicians
Australian-owned and operated
Telehealth nationwide
Comfort and dignity guide everything here. Our Clinicians listen with real care and attention.

What palliative care is

Palliative care is a type of specialised medical care for people living with serious, chronic, life-limiting or terminal illness. Its purpose is to improve quality of life for the person and to support the people around them.

The most persistent misunderstanding about palliative care is that it begins when treatment stops. It does not. Palliative care can begin at any time from the moment someone is diagnosed with a long-term illness, and it frequently runs alongside active treatment for years. It applies to people of any age, including children.

It is provided for conditions including cancer, motor neurone disease, advanced kidney or liver disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and advanced heart and lung disease.

A window seat with cushions and a folded quilt in golden afternoon light

What palliative care addresses

  • Physical symptoms: , including pain, breathlessness, nausea, fatigue, appetite loss and difficulty sleeping.
  • Emotional and psychological wellbeing: , for the person and for the family.
  • Social and practical needs: , including equipment at home, help with daily tasks, and financial and legal questions.
  • Spiritual wellbeing: , wherever that matters to the person.
  • Decisions about care: , including advance care planning, which records what treatment a person would and would not want if they later cannot speak for themselves.

Who provides it and where

Palliative care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team. The person’s GP often leads coordination, working with palliative care specialists and nurses, and with allied health professionals including social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and mental health professionals.

Care can be provided at home, in hospital, in a hospice unit, or in residential aged care, depending on need and on what the person wants. Most people express a preference to remain at home, and community palliative care services exist across Australia to support that where it is practical.

Support for carers

Caring for someone with a life-limiting illness is demanding, sustained, and frequently invisible. Palliative care services provide information, practical training, emotional support and respite so that carers can maintain their own health.

Carers are entitled to support in their own right. Carer Gateway, on 1800 422 737, is the national entry point for carer services.

Advance care planning

Advance care planning is the process of thinking through and recording your preferences for future care, and appointing someone to make decisions if you become unable to. It is done while a person is well enough to consider it properly, and it is revisited as circumstances change.

Doing it early removes a considerable weight from families later, and it is one of the few parts of this that a person can control completely.

Before you book

What a consultation covers

A structured review of your health with an AHPRA-registered Clinician, by video or telephone.

  1. Your history

    A consultation with a LeafLine Clinic Clinician is a structured review of health. Your Clinician takes a full history: the diagnosis and stage, the treating and palliative care teams already involved, which symptoms are affecting quality of life most, what has already been tried and what happened, current medicines, and other conditions.

  2. What you have already tried

    Your Clinician will discuss your concerns and review your previous treatments: what has been tried, what happened, and what you are taking now.

  3. The options

    Your Clinician explores appropriate management options based on clinical judgement and your individual circumstances. Specific treatment options can only be discussed and decided during a private consultation with a qualified Clinician.

  4. Alongside your existing team

    Care here is intended to sit alongside your existing palliative care and treating teams rather than replace them, and close coordination with those teams matters more in this setting than in almost any other.

When to seek medical support

Contact your palliative care team or GP about uncontrolled pain, new or worsening breathlessness, persistent vomiting, confusion, or any symptom that is not settling with the current plan. Most community palliative care services operate an after-hours telephone line, and it is worth having that number where you can find it.

For medical emergencies, call 000. Palliative Care Australia and CareSearch both publish information for patients, families and carers.

Common questions

Is palliative care only for the last weeks of life?

No. Palliative care can begin at any time from the moment someone is diagnosed with a long-term illness, and often runs alongside active treatment for years. It is available to people of any age, including children, and applies to conditions including cancer, motor neurone disease, advanced kidney or liver disease, dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Where can palliative care be provided?

At home, in hospital, in a hospice unit, or in residential aged care, depending on need and on the person's preference. Community palliative care services operate across Australia to support people who want to remain at home.

What is advance care planning?

The process of recording your preferences for future medical care and appointing someone to make decisions if you later cannot speak for yourself. It is done while a person is well enough to consider it properly and is revisited as circumstances change.

What support is available for carers?

Palliative care services provide information, practical training, emotional support and respite care. Carers are entitled to support in their own right, and Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 is the national entry point for carer services.

About this page

This page is general health information about a condition. It is not a description of any treatment, it is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for an assessment by a qualified practitioner. Decisions about your care are made with your Clinician, in a consultation, based on your own history.

Last reviewed 7 September 2026. Written by Umar Khan, CEO.

Sources

Book a consultation

If you are seeking palliative symptom support, you can book a telehealth consultation with one of our AHPRA-registered Clinicians to discuss your needs and care options.

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