What can my organisation do?
Recommend palliAGEDnurse app for nurses working in residential, community or primary care looking after people with a life-limiting illness or approaching the end of their life.
Recommend the CareSearchgp app for GPs who are caring for older palliative patients living at home or in residential care.
Upskill staff to manage symptoms that might otherwise indicate the need for an acute care admission.
Prepare staff and services for the recognition of impeding death to avoid sense of emergency/panic if unprepared.
Consider developing an emergency care pathway that might reduce the need for acute care admissions. Review after-hours emergency procedures.
Prepare staff to be comfortable and confident with communication at a time of an emergency, that they know how to pass on 'bad news' and are sensitive to how people may receive 'bad news'. Vitaltalk resources can be helpful.
Train staff to introduce discussion around advance care planning and offer contact details of people who can provide assistance in completing the paperwork.
Ensure there is a process of integrating an Advance Care Plan (ACP) or Advance Care Directive (ACD) into notes/records and the goals of care with a process for review.
Make sure that a copy of the ACD is readily available in notes or records; an electronic version may assist accessibility by various people and organisations which provide care.