DID you know…? Only 28% of patients who died at SWB in September had an SCP completed

January 28, 2022

Late recognition of patients who are dying means missed opportunities for your patients to express and achieve their priorities at end of life. Collect your quick reference guide from the education centre or use eCoach in Unity to find out how.

At SWB we advocate using the Supportive Care Plan for patients likely to be in the last year of life, to guide and document open communications with patients about their future care and preferences. The care plan should be written in conjunction with the patient, after a sensitive and honest dialogue about your expectations for their health going forward, and can be used for people who are in the last months, weeks or days of life. It is vital that the information contained in the SCP is then shared with other teams looking after the patient, for example their GP or community palliative care team. A good place to document the discussion would be on the discharge summary, but if the patient is expected to die very quickly a telephone call to the patients GP is also very helpful.

In order to use the SCP at the right time for the right patients, we need to identify patients who could have a short prognosis. We advocate using the SPICT tool, which is also available on Unity, to identify patients who are deteriorating, and are likely increased care needs.

If we are able to have these conversations with patients in a timely manner we have the opportunity to shape their future care so that we meet their needs and wishes as they approach the final phase of their lives.