The Mid North Coast Rural Palliative Program aims to work with key local project partners to develop a sustainable model of palliative care that will ensure that people with life-limiting illnesses in Coffs Harbour and Bellingen have access to a coordinated and integrated palliative care service by December 2006.

• To utilise a process that ensures that the program has the capacity to address local issues/problems and opportunities, as well as to facilitate consultation, collaboration and communication with all project partners, throughout the projects duration, December 2003-2006.
• To develop a sustainable model of interdisciplinary care that is able to provide high quality primary palliative care, 7 day per week to people requiring end of life care in Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Local Government Areas (LGA) by December 2006 · To enable residential aged care facilities to become key providers of palliative care and to ensure that they are able to facilitate dying in residence.
• That the palliative care competencies (knowledge and skills) of local general practitioners and registered nurses are strengthen and enhanced so that all patients being cared for in either the community, local hospitals or residential aged care facilities, receive end-of-life care in accordance with best evidence based practice.
• That there will be a manageable and effective system established for the accurate and timely collection of data for the duration of project.
• That the use of validated palliative care data collection tools will assist with the mapping of the care needs of rural palliative care patients and their carers, and promote the development of appropriate models of care.
• That there is active participation by all project partners in the external evaluation of the Mid North Coast Rural Palliative Care Project and that data is collected in accordance with the minimal data set, as specified in the funding agreement.