The Association of Palliative Care Centres (APCC), formerly known as the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) of South Africa, was founded in 1987 and is a registered Not-for-Profit Company (Reg. no. 1986/001887/08) in South Africa.

The APCC is an Association of accredited palliative care service providers, many of whom are known as hospices. All APCC members are accredited against the Standards for Palliative Healthcare Services that have been approved by the Council for Health Service Accreditation of South Africa (COHSASA) and the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).

As the new name and logo depicts, palliative care is the physical, psychological, social and spiritual care provided by an inter-disciplinary team of experts to anyone with a life-threatening illness and their loved ones. Care is offered from the point of diagnosis and extends to bereavement support if needed. Over 90% of the care that APCC members provide is home-based with a focus on promoting quality of life.”