Advance Care Planning (FOI)

Request

Compassion in Dying is a national charity that enables people to plan ahead for the end of life and ensure their wishes are known and can be followed in the event they lack capacity to make decisions for themselves.

We frequently receive enquiries from people who have completed an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) and/or have a Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) form and/or have appointed a Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare and are concerned about whether their wishes would be respected in an emergency situation or when being transported between care settings.  Since the pandemic, we’ve also received a significant increase in enquiries from people wanting support to die at home.

To ensure that we signpost correctly, give out the most up-to-date information and to inform our policy work I am writing to kindly request the attached information under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. With many thanks in advance for your cooperation

A

Name of the Ambulance Trust

B

Does your Ambulance Trust have a system for holding copies of an individual’s advance care plans (as listed in the table below) and is the complete document(s) accessible to the attending crew?

C

If you do have a system for holding and accessing a person’s advance care planning documents, who can provide you with these documents and how would they do so (e.g. via an internal system, by email, by posting a copy, by handing you a copy in person)?  If an internal system and/or an email are to be used, please give details.

D

Does your Trust recognise the Lions Club “message in a bottle” scheme? 

E

Does the Trust give any information or support to someone at the end of life who wishes to remain and die at home? (e.g. complete ReSPECT/ DNAR forms, obtain anticipatory medication, call a specific number for support). If so please outline this. If there are common circumstances in which transfer to hospital is mandatory/unavoidable please explain below as this will help individuals and their families manage expectations.

Response

A

States of Jersey Ambulance Service. 

B

No, we do not have a system in place currently, though we are looking into this. Currently, people are asked to hold hard copies at home/care home/nursing home etc., for the crew to view in full on arrival. We work closely with the local Hospice in regard to end-of-life care and use the Gold Standards Framework. 

C

Not applicable.

D

A similar scheme runs on the island and yes, we recognise and use the scheme.

E

Not currently, though we are exploring an ambulance end of life care lead.