What is advance care planning?
If you have strong beliefs about what you want to happen in the future, it is particularly important to make your plans and your wishes known now.
Even if you are fit and healthy, it is never too early to plan your future health care.
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
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
Copies of these ACP documents can be:
- Provided to a person’s substitute decision maker and GP if they wish;
- Provided to the Mackay Hospital and Health Service at the time of a hospital admission, outpatient appointment or home visit, a pdf copy can also be emailed to acp-mky@health.qld.gov.au
- Sent to the Medical Records Department of their local hospital for future reference.
- Uploaded to your My Health Record https://myhealthrecord.gov.au/internet/mhr/publishing.nsf/Content/acp
If you would like your Statement of Choices form to be accessible to clinicians at Queensland Health hospitals, please send a copy to:
Post: Office of Advance Care Planning
PO Box 72, Corinda Qld 4075
Email: acp@health.qld.gov.au
