Case study:

02 August 2007

Introducing Advanced Care Planning (ACP) through pilot study, review evaluation and workshops in Durham PCT

Key points

The End of Life Care project in Durham PCT is planning to introduce advanced care planning in an agreed and standard format across the trust following successful piloting of the scheme in a number of different care sites.

The End of Life Care Project Lead will hold a training workshop for all interested parties to disseminate a document about ACP, which has been tested out, modified and approved following a series of local meetings and pilot schemes.

ACP was originally piloted for three months in one four-bedded hospice.

Following this a steering group was set up in one locality which amended the ACP proforma, based on information from a multidisciplinary workshop, and it was then piloted in four different settings – a hospice, a group of district nurses, a care home and among Macmillan nurses.

Reporting has been through the participants recording what went well, what did not go well and what the patients think would work better plus open discussion at the workshop and steering group meetings.

This feedback will form the basis for the discussion group breakout sessions at the workshop.

This is a very sensitive area. Nurses are concerned about how to approach this issue so this development has been taking place slowly with constant review and discussion.

Staff feel they need communication training and this is being built into the final workshop.