Between 2016–17 and 2024–25, the number of palliative care-related prescriptions increased overall by 72%, rising from 908,000 to 1.6 million, except for a decline in 2020–21. However, the number of people dispensed palliative care-related prescriptions slightly declined from 495,000 to 488,000 (1.4% decline). Consistent with these patterns, the number of prescriptions per person increased from 1.8 to 3.2 over the same period (Figure MED 3).
A similar increasing trend was also observed for prescriptions dispensed by GPs, palliative medicine specialists and other clinicians. However, in the year to 2021–22 there was a steep increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed – nearly tripling from 6,400 to 17,900 for palliative care specialists. This compares with a more modest increase for prescriptions from GPs (4.7% increase) and other clinicians (29% increase) between 2020–21 and 2021–22.
The sharp rise in palliative care-related prescriptions from palliative medicine specialists reflects a combination of policy changes, health care system adjustments, and shifts in prescribing practices. New medication listings to the PBS Palliative Care Schedule from June 2021 for gastrointestinal, psychological, and neurological symptoms, resulted in an increase in prescriptions related to these medication groups (for further details see 2023 edition of this report in Archived content).
