The acute health service’s policies and procedures demonstrate a systematic approach to end of life care across the service, meeting the requirements of:
- National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards(opens in a new window) (Standard 9: Recognising and responding to clinical deterioration, and other standards)8
- National consensus statement: essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care(opens in a new window)
- National consensus statement: essential elements for safe and high-quality paediatric end-of-life care(opens in a new window)
- the service’s Statement of Priorities relating to advance care planning and the Care Plan for the Dying Person – Victoria(opens in a new window) (or equivalent).
The acute health service acknowledges and demonstrates that:
- sustainable, safe and high-quality end of life care cannot be achieved without the commitment and leadership of executive and senior medical staff
- care at end of life (last 12 months) is fundamental to the work of all physicians and other health professionals. Physicians must provide clinical leadership.9
- culturally appropriate end of life care requires a whole-of-organisation approach
- effective end of life care is proactive, anticipatory and individual
- the quality of end of life care, including care in the terminal phase, is part of the service's processes of clinical governance.
8 This information will be updated when Version 2 of National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards is released.
9 The Royal Australian College of Physicians 2016, Improving Care at the End of Life: Our roles and Responsibilities, accessed at The Royal Australasian College of Physicians(opens in a new window) March 2017
Updated