Elements and Performance Criteria
- Elements define the essential outcomes
- Plan a palliative approach to individual care
- Assist with care planning using a palliative approach to maximise the person’s quality of life and comfort
- Identify immediate and potential future care requirements based on the condition or illness of the person
- Identify current specialist palliative care requirements if relevant
- Ensure planning includes involving and supporting the person, family members, carers and/or significant others
- Ensure care plan holistically addresses the person’s needs that extend over time not just end-of-life
- Support individuals to identify their preferences for quality of life choices
- Consult the person, family members, carers and/or significant others to identify and share information regarding current and changing needs and preferences
- Respect and account for the person’s lifestyle, social, cultural and spiritual choices and needs in developing the care plan
- Ensure the planning process supports the freedom of the person, family, carer and/or significant others to discuss spiritual and cultural issues in an open and non-judgemental way
- Demonstrate respect for the roles of the person and carer in planning, delivering care and decision making
- Address any issues that are outside scope of own role by referring them to the appropriate member of the care team in line with organisation requirements
- Model communication with the person, families, carers and/or significant others that shows empathy and provides emotional support
- Assist with advanced care planning
- Assist with the determining of advanced care directives in line with role, organisation, legal and ethical guidelines
- Assist with the documentation of advanced care directives in line with the person’s preferences and organisation procedures
- Ensure all advanced care directives are communicated and understood by relevant parties in accordance with confidentiality requirements
- Actively support the ethical end-of-life decisions agreed by the person and carer, in line with organisation policy and care plan directives
- Assist with identifying the person’s ongoing decisions, preferences, needs and issues in relation to end-of-life and document in the care plan in consultation with supervisor or appropriate team member
- Observe the impact on the family and carers of the person’s end-of-life decisions, needs and issues and provide support as needed
- Take action to alleviate pain and other end-of-life symptoms
- Plan and document in care plan strategies to maximise comfort in collaboration with supervisor and/or health professional
- Assess the person’s need for pain and symptom relief in line with care plan and report to supervisor and/or health professional
- Provide pain and symptom relief in line with role, care plan, legislation and organisation policy
- Provide appropriate information about the use of pain relieving medication and other treatments to staff, individuals, their family and carers, in consultation with supervisor and/or other health professional,
- Observe, report and document effectiveness of interventions for pain and symptom relief
- Communicate ineffectiveness of interventions to supervisor and/or other health professional and document
- Contribute to the development and implementation of end-of-life care strategies
- Respect and incorporate the person’s preferences including cultural and spiritual wishes when contributing to an end-of-life care plan
- Maintain the dignity of the person when planning end-of-life care and immediately following death
- Observe any signs of a person’s imminent death and/or deterioration and report to appropriate members of the care team in line with organisation requirements
- Provide a supportive environment for the person, families, carers and/or significant others and those involved in their care at end-of-life
- Ensure that decisions made by the person, family, carers and/or significant others are reviewed regularly, communicated to staff and updated on the care plan
- Identify the emotional needs of other individuals and their families, carers and/or significant others affected when a death occurs and provide the necessary support or referrals in line with organisation requirements
- Prepare the person, family, other staff and self for any distressing end-of-life events within own responsibilities
- Identify and manage emotional responses in self and others
- Identify and reflect upon own emotional responses to death and dying and raise and discuss any issues with supervisor and/or other appropriate person
- Identify and reflect upon potential impact of personal responses on self and others and action appropriately
- Inform others about support systems and bereavement care available
- Follow organisation policies and procedures in relation to emotional welfare of self, team members, individuals and family
- Assist colleagues to debrief and discuss bereavement care
- Identify other strategies and resources available for debriefing
- Evaluate effectiveness of emotional response strategies