The new Care Plan for the Dying Person, developed by the WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network with expert clinicians, supports best practice and quality improvement in care of the dying and replaces the WA Liverpool Care Pathway (WA lcp). The multi-professional Care Plan prompts completeness of care by individual health professionals and teams and can be individualised to meet the needs of each patient and their family/carer(s). The Care Plan has been trialled in several public and private health services in metropolitan and country settings and commenced clinical use early in 2016.
Endorsed by the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, the Care Plan will assist hospitals to align with NSQHS Standard 9, the Commission’s Essential Elements for Safe and High-Quality End-of- Life Care (Consensus Statement), ACHS EQuIP 5 and the National Palliative Care Strategy 2010 Supporting Australians to Live Well at the End of Life.
The Network will provide assistance during systematic implementation within a quality improvement framework including inter-professional staff education and training, associated clinical resources and a Link Nurse Program. The WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network will maintain document and version control of the Care Plan for the Dying Person and its associated clinical and training resources.
The Care Plan for the Dying Person provides WA Health with an important tool to aid the delivery of safe and high-quality patient centred care during the last days of life.