To celebrate National Palliative Care Week 2025, the Gippsland Regional Palliative Care Consortium (GRPCC) developed an implementation package to support the use of the Orange Heart door sign initiative in health services across Gippsland.
The Orange Heart Project introduces the use of the Palliative Care Australia orange heart symbol on the doors of patients nearing end-of-life in acute wards. The symbol discreetly signifies to staff, visitors, and auxiliary personnel that the patient is in their final days, ensuring interactions are guided by sensitivity, respect, and compassion.
The implementation package developed by GRPCC includes step-by-step instructions, customisable signage templates, information sheets, and staff education materials to assist services in adopting the initiative consistently and effectively. Five Gippsland Health services have now implemented the use of the Orange Heart with another five services introducing the process.
