12 May 2016

The Royal College of Physicians 'End of Life Care Audit - Dying in Hospital: Nation report for England 2016', published on 30 March 2016, highlights how important it is for staff involved in care of the dying to have: good communication skills; the ability to listen to patients' concerns; and the skills to conduct advance care planning.

The audit identified that only 4% of people had documented evidence of an advance care plan made prior to admission to hospital - a clear indication that conversations are still being missed, avoided or delayed too long perhaps.

The report recommends that staff have training in communication skills and advance care planning.  The SAGE & THYME for Advance Care Planning (ACP) workshop meets this criteria, by teaching how to open a discussion about ACP, and then listen and respond to a patient's concerns during the discussion, using a memorable, structured approach.

For more information on the SAGE & THYME for Advance Care Planning (ACP) workshop, please click here.