PallConsult resources

Rapid transfer home for terminal care checklist

The Rapid Transfer Home for Terminal Care Checklist (PDF 857 kB) is a planning document that can be used by hospital-based clinicians to safely support adult patients and their families/carers who choose to transfer home (private residence or residential aged care home (RACH)) for end-of-life and terminal care.

A transfer to die at home is considered urgent care and requires an informed, coordinated approach to ensure the transfer is safe and occurs in a timely manner. It involves coordinating service delivery by community providers and the supply of necessary end-of-life medicines, consumables and equipment.

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It supports safe and timely transfer of adult patients to a private residence or residential aged care home. This requires an informed, coordinated approach with roles

for the inpatient team, ambulance service, and the community team. The checklist includes a discharge flow chart, information about medication management, equipment

and supplies, and clinician documentation. Also included is a home death pack, which contains resources for families, a transfer home checklist, an ambulance letter

of transfer, expected death letter, and community contacts. The checklist provides benefits for clinicians and health services, including respecting patient choice,

providing timely and efficient discharge, reducing length of hospital stay, improving clinician confidence and satisfaction, and providing continuity of care across healthcare settings.

Benefits of being discharged home for patients and families include patient choices being respected, support to die in a familiar environment surrounded

by family and friends, flexibility of familiar home routines to maximize quality of life, a more natural and less clinical death.

If that is the patient's desire and and improve bereavement legacy for family, visit www.palconsult.com au

or find the checklist on the Queensland Health Intranet.

Scope

The Rapid Transfer Home for Terminal Care Checklist is a recommended guide only.

Changes to patient and/or carer circumstances may result in immediate review or cessation of discharge process.

Ongoing assessment and communication with family is essential.

Clinicians should consider local services, resources and procedures, particularly when care is complex.

This document aligns with:

National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2023)
Palliative and End-of-Life Care Strategy (PDF 16401 kB) (Queensland Health, 2022)
National Palliative Care Standards for All Health Professionals and Aged Care Services (Palliative Care Australia, 2022)
National Palliative Care Standards (Palliative Care Australia, 2018)

Home Death Pack

Specifically tailored for Queensland residents who choose to transfer home for end-of-life and terminal care, the resources in the Home Death Pack provide information and practical advice for families and carers.

Clinicians can download and print the appropriate resources on page 5 of the checklist and provide them to the family/carer, as appropriate. Please use the Home Death Pack cover page (PDF 98 kB) to accompany the resources given to the family/carer.

This can help empower families and carers to navigate the complexities of caring for a terminally ill person with confidence and compassion.

Last updated: 16 June 2025