The National Palliative Care Standards (the Standards) clearly articulate and promote a vision for compassionate and appropriate specialist palliative care. The Standards recognise the importance of care that is person-centred and age-appropriate. In particular they point to the requirement for specific attention to the needs of people who may be especially vulnerable or at risk. This 5th edition of the Standards has been developed to reflect the significant changes that have occurred since 2005 and to continue to support specialist palliative care services as they work to ensure that the people they service have access to the highest quality of care as they approach and reach the end of life.