Actions for Professional Consideration
Recognise
- The possibility that the person is at the increasing decline of their illness is recognised and communicated clearly
- Cautious reference can be made to a number of Prognostic Indicators and/or Performance Assessment Tools to support the likely accuracy of any professional predications’ being made
- Palliative Care Meetings may help to facilitate recognition of the persons needs and will help with subsequent coordination of care
- Use of ‘Phase of illness’ read codes within Electronic Records will help with recognition of the persons phase of illness across care settings and between in hours and out of hours services
Communicate
- Sensitive communication should take place between those caring for the patient, and those identified to be important to them
- Use of Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems’ (EPaCCS) will help with communication across care settings and between in hours and out of hours services
Involve
- The person, and those identified to be important to them should be involved in decisions about treatment and care e.g. DNACPR to the extent that the person with the illness wants
- Decisions should be made, and actions taken in accordance with the persons needs and wishes, and these should be regularly reviewed and decisions revised accordingly
- Where a person is unable to be involved and/or make a decision for themselves, a best interests process should ALWAYS be followed in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act
Support
- The needs of the family, informal carers and those important to the patient should be actively explored, respected and met as far as reasonable and practical
- Consideration should be made regarding the involvement of appropriate local Palliative and End of Life Care Services that may offer varied forms of support to the person and those important to them
Do
- A personalised plan of care should be developed, agreed, coordinated and delivered with compassion. Fundamental components’ of this personalised care plan should include: