End of Life Care, Support, Advice and Information

What is end of life care?

End of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life.

End of life care should help you to live as well as possible until you die, and to die with dignity. Providers of care should ask you about your wishes and preferences and take these into account. They should also support your family, and carers.

What is palliative care?

End of life care includes palliative care. If you have an incurable illness, palliative care makes you as comfortable as possible by managing pain and other distressing symptoms. It may also involve psychological, social and spiritual support.

What is ReSPECT?

ReSPECT stands for Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment. The ReSPECT process creates a personalised recommendation for your clinical care in an emergency where you are not able to make decisions or express your wishes.

ReSPECT has been introduced across Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership, and you may be invited to have a ReSPECT conversation.

Anticipatory Medications
Anticipatory medications are medicines that are used when a person is unable to take medications orally. They are prescribed in case symptoms such as pain, nausea and breathlessness develop, to keep a patient calm and comfortable as they come towards the end of their life. They are sometimes referred to as End of Life medications or Just in Case Medications. Medications are prescribed on an individual basis and so each persons end of life medications prescription will be different.

DNACPR

DNACPR stands for do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It's sometimes called DNAR (do not attempt resuscitation) or DNR (do not resuscitate) but they all refer to the same thing.

DNACPR means if your heart or breathing stops your healthcare team will not try to restart it.

A DNACPR decision is made by you and/or your doctor or healthcare team.

A DNACPR decision is usually recorded on a special form. Different doctors or hospitals might use different forms, but they all serve the same purpose. Some examples are a DNACPR form, a treatment escalation plan, or a recommended summary plan for emergency care and treatment (ReSPECT) process.

All these forms are easily recognised by doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, so they know what to do in an emergency.

This form is kept in your medical records. It may also be printed and kept with you if you are at home or in a care home.

You and the people important to you should know that a DNACPR form has been put in your medical records.

The form says that if your heart or breathing stop, CPR should not be tried. This means medical staff will not try to restart your heart or breathing.

Important

DNACPR is about CPR only. It does not mean that you will not get care and treatment. You will continue to have all the other appropriate care, treatment and support you need.