Palliative Care Wales
This website is no longer being actively maintained. Some of the material has been moved and is now hosted on the the End of Life Care section on the NHS Wales Health Collaborative website. The full link is: https://collaborative.nhs.wales/implementation-groups/end-of-life-care/
A - Ask

wIPADS

Advance Care Planning

Ask if the patient wishes to discuss Advance care Planning

Introduce the subject of Advance Care Planning with the patient and/or family

It is important to tailor the way Advance Care Planning is raised with the patient and/or family to suit the patient's specific case.

You should check if the patient has already made his/her wishes known in any form.

The Communication Skills guide to starting ACP may be helpful.

A variety of written information is available for patients who wish to read more, and for those who wish to take it away and prepare their own advance care plan document.

Remember that Advance Care Planning will mean different things to different patients:

  • recording a preference not to receive certain treatment
  • making a will
  • appointing a Lasting Power of Attorney
  • recording a preference about staying a home
  • an emergency treatment plan e.g. for seizures

Few patients will want everything.

If the patient does not wish to continue, their wishes should be respected; record a note to that effect in the medical records. Consider exploring the subject again at a later date, when the patient's condition worsens.

Resources

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING GENERAL - Info for Patients