Advance care planning: a guide for health and social care staff

Caring for people at the end of their lives is an important role for many health and social care professionals. One of the key aspects of this role is to discuss with individuals their preferences regarding the type of care they would wish to receive and where they wish to be cared for.  The outcomes of such discussions then need to be documented, regularly reviewed and communicated to other relevant people, subject to the individual’s agreement.  This is called the process of Advance Care Planning (ACP).