Discussing Deteriorating Health and Future Care Planning

An interactive workshop for senior doctors and other health professionals (Band 6+). Participants will work in a small peer group and address communication challenges drawn from their own clinical practice and educational roles.  Particular focus will be on initiating conversations about deteriorating health, people’s priorities and plans for future care such as hospital treatments options, further admissions, clinically assisted nutrition or hydration and CPR

This workshop is open to staff from all NHS health boards

Overview

We look at effective ways to help people think and plan ahead. Clinicians need to be able to talk about emergency treatment and care planning (e.g. Treatment Escalation Plans and ReSPECT), goals of care, and planning for care around dying, including DNACPR discussions.

The RED-MAP framework supports these conversations.

Learning outcomes

In this advanced clinical communication workshop participants will:

• Communicate sensitively and effectively with people and those close to them about serious illness,  deteriorating health, goals of care and CPR.
• Talk about Future Care Planning informed by an understanding of ‘what matters’ to people and their families.
• Discuss treatment and care options and outcomes within a person-centred model of shared decision-making and Realistic Medicine.
• Respond to anger, distress, collusion and other complex emotions.
• Discuss the benefits and limitations of treatment in a balanced way.
• Address communication challenges that arise when the person has impaired decision-making capacity