Should doctors fear legal sanction for using opioids at the end of life? A perfect storm arises from a rare confluence of adverse meteorological factors, and is a metaphor for an especially bad situation caused by a combination of unfavourable circumstances. Health care at the end of life has been significantly disturbed by two converging...

This paper looks particularly at the challenges involved in promoting individual autonomy - supporting individuals to make informed choices about future medical interventions.

Oxfam New Zealand’s Advocacy and Campaigns Director, Joanna Spratt, finds there is scarce literature on palliative care in Pacific island countries and territories, but the documented disease profile shows a need for expanded palliative care as well as more funding; leadership; support training, coaching and mentoring; nurture networks; and further research.

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (Vic) will come into force in June 2019, becoming the first law in Australia in 20 years to permit voluntary assisted dying (VAD). This paper considers how other Australian states and territories are likely to respond to this development.

This review is a five‐year revisit of the 2013 report, Improving end of life care for South Australians. That report was a midpoint examination of the implementation of South Australian Health's Palliative care services plan 2009‐16, which outlined the South Australian government’s commitment to expand and reshape end‐of‐life services in the state.