Anticipatory Care Planning is about helping people think ahead.
ACP is a process that helps people make choices about their future care. ACP is also about knowing how to use services better.
Planning ahead can help people to be more in control and more able to manage any changes in their health and wellbeing. It also helps people tell others about what matters most to them.
People of all ages who are living with long term conditions, complex care needs or serious health problems benefit from having their own Anticipatory Care Plan.
Resources from Health Improvement Scotland (HIS)
Anticipatory Care Planning documents are available for use across Scotland.
The Scottish Anticipatory Care Plan can be downloaded and printed from the MyACP website. Some GP practices have copies.
The ‘My ACP’ App available free of charge from the App Store.
There are ACP leaflets to explain more about the benefits of Anticipatory Care Planning
– What you need to know
– Things to think about
Videos show people telling their own stories about taking part in ACP conversations and planning.
NHS Inform also provides patient information and links for ACP.
There is an ACP guide for health and care professionals who are caring for people who would benefit from Anticipatory Care Planning.
EC4H resources
The EC4H programme offers workshops on Anticipatory Care Planning.
We start to talk about thinking ahead and planning for the future when people are still well. We identify people who have poor or deteriorating health, and make plans for good care with people who are dying and those close to them. Read more in the EC4H Web Resources
We use a 6-step approach to these conversations called RED-MAP
ACP-Talk guides and videos aim to help professionals use effective approaches for these discussions. If the person or their situation is more complex, consider asking for advice and support from an experienced colleague.
ACP-Talk 1: Future care planning helps older people and people with long term conditions or complex health needs; and anyone who has a life-limiting or serious illness.
ACP-Talk 2: Planning ahead is important when a person’s health is starting to deteriorate. It’s time to talk about what the person would like to happen or would not want. We can ‘hope for the best’ and ‘plan for when/if’ things change.
ACP-TALK 2 video: Planning ahead when I’m back home from hospital
ACP-TALK 2 video: Staying in my care home or going to hospital
ACP-Talk 3: When someone is seriously ill and at risk of dying, talking about an individual care plan with the person and those close to them is important.
- It includes talking about outcomes, benefits and harms of treatment, place of care, and specific decisions (e.g.cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hospital admission, HDU/ITU care, IV therapies).
- We talk about what we can do to help; and explain why some treatments do not work or are not of benefit for this person.
ACP-TALK 3 video: Planning good care in the last days of life
What happens when someone is dying– patient/ family information leaflet
SPICT (Supportive & Palliative Care Indicators Tool)
The SPICT™ is used as a guide to help health and care professionals identify people with deteriorating health for assessment and anticipatory care planning. The SPICT 2017 and a version in non-clinical language (SPICT-4ALL) are available free to download along with resources to support their use from the SPICT website