Advance care planning training and learning

Cancer Council WA’s Palliative and Supportive Education Program (PaSCE)

A number of subsidised and free education opportunities that can be accessed by creating a login to their online learning management portal (external site). This includes recordings of a series of advance care planning webinars targeting 5 different care settings.

End of Life Law for Clinicians

End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) is a free training program about the law on end of life decision-making. The ELLC aged care course is for nurses, GPs, other medical practitioners, allied and other health professionals, and mangers working in residential care, and home and community care. To enrol, visit the ELLC learning platform.

Tools for education providers

• Template advance care planning education slides for health professionals (PPT 712kb)
  A template PowerPoint presentation for use by anyone delivering advance care planning education to health professionals. The slides can be reformatted and tailored to suit the target audience. Developed by WA Department of Health with the aim of ensuring consistent messaging across WA.

• WA Health’s strategy for advance care planning education and awareness raising: for health professionals and the community (PDF 613KB)
  The purpose of the Strategy is to outline WA Health’s approach to advance care planning awareness raising, training and education for health professionals and the community. The Strategy provides a holistic view of what is required in WA in regard to advance care planning education and awareness raising. Although the Strategy will primarily be used by WA Health to guide their activity over the next couple of years, it may also be a useful resource for other key advance care planning organisations and services to identify potential areas for action.
• WA Health End-of-Life and Palliative Care Education and Training Framework
  A reference tool to identify the knowledge and skills required by health professionals and staff who care for people with end-of-life and palliative care needs.
• WA Health Aboriginal End-of-Life and Palliative Care Framework
  Guidance for providing services that respect the cultural values and beliefs of Aboriginal people.
• Final Report: Review of ACP resources for priority populations (PDF 2MB)
  This review, conducted by Nous Group on behalf of the Department of Health WA, identified 63 recommendations to address the additional barriers that 6 priority groups face and how to better support them in undertaking ACP. Although primarily related to the Department of Health WA’s ACP related resources, several recommendations have broader relevance and applicability to other organisations.

Refer to local policies and procedures.

• Goals of Patient Care
  A discussion and documentation that establishes the most medically appropriate, realistic, and patient centred treatment to apply in the event of a patient’s clinical deterioration during an episode of care.
• Department of Health Patient Alert Policy
  Outlines the minimum requirements for the approval and documentation of patient alerts (including Advance Health Directives) within patient medical records and the PAS throughout the WA health system.
• Take 5 slides – 5 minute education tool for busy health professionals across the Health Service Providers: 
  • Take 5 – Advance Health Directives (PDF 700KB) 
  • Take 5 - Recognising advance care planning (ACP) documents (PDF 2MB).

• Advance care planning in general practice toolkit by Practice Assist
  This webpage provides easy access to a range of information, resources and educational opportunities to assist general practices undertaking ACP as part of routine care.
• General practice considerations by Advance Care Planning Australia
  Information and guidance provided as part of the professional resource hub. This is a national resource.
• Mini-audit of advance care planning and Advance Health Directives: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activity (Word 77KB)
  This mini-audit is designed for use in general practice to review whether opportunities to introduce ACP or AHD conversations into consultations, assessments and care plans are being adequately undertaken and recorded, and to help identify actions that practice teams can collectively take to increase effective ACP and AHD conversations. Includes a pre-filled quick log for earning CPD hours. This RACGP webinar includes an overview of using the mini-audit.

• Aged care considerations by Advance Care Planning Australia
  Information and guidance provided as part of the professional resource hub. This is a national resource.
• Residential Aged Care: Excellence in Palliative Care Program (external site)
  Quality palliative and end of life care education that aligns with the Aged Care Quality Standards and WA End-of-Life and Palliative Care Strategy.
• End of life directions for aged care (ELDAC) (external site)
  Information, guidance, and resources for all aged care staff to support palliative care and advance care planning. Note this is a national resource and may not use WA specific terminology.
• Residential Goals of Care
  A clinician-led form completed as part of discussions between a resident and their health care team. It outlines the resident’s goals and preferences for care, and the type of care and treatments that would be appropriate in the event the resident’s condition deteriorates in the context of end of life.

• Community education workshops
  Palliative Care WA delivers free, informative and interactive community workshops on advance care planning and palliative care in Perth and regional WA. Workshops are run in person or online.
• Advance Care Planning Support Service 
  A free service that offers support with completing advance care planning documents, provided by Palliative Care WA.

Note about private advance care planning providers

Before considering the use of private advance care planning service providers, individuals should consider the list of questions prepared by Advance Care Planning Australia.

Communication

• Cancer Council WA’s Palliative and Supportive Care Education (PASCE) Communication Skills Education Videos for Health Professionals (external site)
• Advance Care Planning Australia: Starting a conversation with patients (external site).

Decision making for someone else

• Advance Care Planning Australia Video: Making health care decisions for someone else (external site)
• Advance Care Planning Australia Video: Appointing a substitute decision maker (external site)

Dementia

• The Advance Project® dementia specific training and resources (external site)
• End of Life Law for Clinicians online training (external site)

LGBTIQ+

• LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Project eLearning modules (external site)

Videos from Advance Care Planning Australia

• Understanding advance care planning (external site)
• ACP as a part of routine care (external site)
• A nurse introduces advance care planning to her patient (external site)
• A doctor discusses advance care planning (external site)
• Revisiting your advance care plan (external site)
• Changing priorities and advance care planning (external site)
• Virtual, interactive training for health professionals and care workers on advance acre planning (external site)
• The questions that matter most (external site)
• Love is not enough (external site)