What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning involves thinking and making choices now to guide your future health care. It is also a process of communicating your wishes. If you have strong beliefs about what you want to happen in the future, it is particularly important to make your plans and wishes known now. You can do this by having a conversation with those close to you and writing down your preferences.
Ideally, advance care planning will result in your preferences being documented in a plan known as an advance care directive and the appointment of a substitute decision-maker to help ensure your preferences are respected.
Why should you plan ahead?
Planning ahead can mean:
- discussing your health care and quality of life choices with those closest to you and those you trust
- writing down your choices in a Statement of Choices
- choosing and appointing your Enduring Power of Attorney, and/or
- completing your Advance Health Directive.
To ensure:
- the treatment and care you receive in the future is in line with your wishes
- your loved ones won’t have to make difficult decisions on your behalf without knowing what you would have wanted
- health care decisions made for you do not happen in a crisis.
Further information is available at https://www.qld.gov.au/health/support/end-of-life/advance-care-planning/index.html
Please click on the following link to access current advance care planning documents in Queensland.
https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp/queensland-advance-care-planning-forms
Advance care planning documents:
Advance Health Directive (AHD) a legal document which allows you to give instructions about your future healthcare, and appoint an enduring power of attorney. It comes into effect if you have impaired capacity.
Download and complete the Advanced Health Directive form for free.
Enduring Power of Attorney a legal document giving another person(s) (substitute decision-maker) the authority to make personal (including healthcare) and/or financial decisions on your behalf when you have impaired capacity.
Download the free Enduring Power of Attorney forms on the Public Guardian website.
Statement of Choices focuses on your wishes, values and beliefs. It is a document in use in some Queensland Health facilities, residential aged care facilities and general practice to support advance care planning conversations, but does not act as a substitute decision-maker or as consent. It is managed statewide by the Metro South Hospital and Health Service.
More information is available about the Statement of Choices at https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp
Where to submit your advance care planning information
Everyone with ACP documents are encouraged to forward copies to the Office of Advance Care Planning:
The office of Advance Care Planning will review your document to ensure it is correctly completed before uploading to the “Tracker” where it will be made available for access to health professionals including GPs throughout Queensland. If your document is not valid or incorrectly completed you will be sent correspondence explaining what needs to be addressed prior to resubmitting.
Alternatively bring your documents with you on your next presentation to one of our hospitals and we can assist in forwarding your documents to the Office of Advance Care Planning.
Forward to :
Post: Office of Advance Care Planning
PO Box 72, Corinda Qld 4075
Email: acp@health.qld.gov.au
You can also:
- Provide a copy to a person’s substitute decision maker and GP if you wish;
- Uploaded to your My Health Record https://myhealthrecord.gov.au/internet/mhr/publishing.nsf/Content/acp
Please be aware that interstate documents will not be accepted.
Further information can be found at www.mycaremychoices.com.au
Alternatively contact the Office of Advance Care Planning Help line: 1300 007 227 or phone 07 3710 2290 for support
