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Planning for the future

The focus of the CQC inspection will vary here depending on the type of service you provide. For some services, the CQC inspection focus may primarily focus on end of life care, but for other services it might be around how you manage complex care needs, support younger people’s transition into adult care services or assist them into work.

The following film provides a summary of this area of inspection. It can help you and your teams learn about what will be inspected and what is important to demonstrate to deliver good or outstanding care.

Introducing Planning for the future

Duration 02 min 08 sec

What the CQC choose to focus on in this area of inspection might vary depending on the type of care you provide.

For some services, the CQC inspection focus may primarily focus on End of life care but for other services it might be around how you manage complex care needs, support younger people’s transition into adult care services or assist them into work.

Whatever way you support people to plan for their future, the CQC will expect those individuals are at the centre of this process. They should also be given the time to consider the options and make informed decisions.

If you support people at the end of their life, the CQC inspectors will expect that your teams are effectively trained and experienced in providing such person-centred support.

It’s vital you and your team are aware of appropriate end-of-life pathways, DNACPR and how best to meet people’s personal choice, spiritual and cultural needs. People's wishes should be regularly reviewed and acted upon as their preferences may change over time.

It is important that people are protected from pain, and so your service will be expected to effectively manage this and monitor symptoms towards the end of their life, accessing medication and specialist palliative care professionals where needed.

Documented evidence may include Advanced care plans, assessments, reviews and daily monitoring, Staff training records and plans and notifications.

For other services, the CQC may at how you support people transition from children to adult services, which in some situations may include supporting them into work or meeting other long-term care needs. Again, inspectors will be keen to explore in their interviews, observations, or review of documented evidence how your service meets such needs.

GO Online brings together resources, practical examples and recommendations to support you. 

Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/788208823

Resources

The practical resources below can help you to strengthen this area of CQC inspection. Use the filter to choose different types of resources or select based on related prompt.

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13 resource(s) found

End of life care eLearning for care workers and nurses working in care

Resource creator: e-learning for health (e-ELCA)

It's vital those supporting people at the end of their life are suitably trained so they can confidently provide high-quality, personalised care.

The End of Life Care for All eLearning programme (e-ELCA) includes specialist learning pathways for care workers and for nurses working in care homes. Modules include advanced care planning, communication skills and spiritual care amongst other topics essential to consider at the end of somebody’s life.

  • Learning

Date published: January 2023


Six Steps + programme

Resource creator: St Luke's Hospice

The Six Steps + Programme is a series of workshops developed by the St Luke’s education team for care homes and agencies. The programme is designed as a toolkit for Care Homes providing end of life care to support them to meet best practice and CQC end of life essential standards. 

  • Guide

Date published: November 2022


The Gold Standards Framework

Resource creator: The Gold Standards Framework

The Gold Standards Framework is the UK’s leading training provider for generalist frontline staff in caring for people in the last years of life. Helping teams in all settings provide more proactive, better supportive care, enabling people to live well until they die. 

  • Guide

Date published: November 2022


Universal Principles for Advance Care Planning (ACP)

Resource creator: NHS England

The purpose of this document is to set out six high level principles for advance care planning in England. It is for the person, those important to them, practitioners and organisations involved in supporting advance care planning conversations and honouring their outcomes.

  • Guide

Date published: September 2022


Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: A national framework for local action 2021-2026

Resource creator: NHS England

This framework sets out our vision to improve end of life care through partnership and collaborative action between organisations at local level throughout England.

It covers the following 6 ambitions:

  • Each person is seen as an individual  
  • Each person gets fair access to care 
  • Maximising comfort and wellbeing  
  • Care is coordinated
  • All staff are prepared to care
  • Each community is prepared to help
  • Guide

Date published: February 2022


Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR)

Resource creator: Skills for Care

This section explores respecting and protecting the rights and wishes of people who do not want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if their heart or breathing stops.

This includes guidance around:
• Decisions and good practice
• When should a DNACPR be put in place and used?
• Advance care planning and end of life care
• CQC report
• Admission to hospital
• Managing, monitoring and reviewing
• People's rights to equal treatment

  • Guide

Date published: December 2021


End of life care for adults (QS13)

Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This NICE quality standard advocates that people who are likely to be approaching the end of their life are identified using a systematic approach.

It also includes statements and measures on:

- identifying people approaching the end of life

- advance care planning

- coordinated care between health and social care

- access to 24-hour care

- support for carers providing end of life care.

The statements are specific and concise and focus on priorities for quality improvement. In particular, please see statements 1 and 2:

R3.1 – statements 2

R3.4 – statement 1.

  • Website

Date published: September 2021


End of life guidance and resources

Resource creator: Skills for Care

If your service is delivering end of life care, make sure you’re familiar with the resources available to help you and your staff. These include:

  • common core principles and competences for end of life care
  • eLearning for end of life care (free access for users of the ASC WDS system)
  • a guide to delivering quality standards in care homes
  • a training guide for homecare workers.
  • Website

Date published: July 2021


Managing bereavement

Resource creator: Skills for Care

This webinar focuses on bereavement and the experience of losing a colleague or a person you’re caring for. Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us and is characterised by grief, which is the process and the range of emotions we go through as we gradually adjust to the loss.

The webinar discusses what bereavement in the workplace setting means and the Skills for Care resources available to support this, including support to help the people affected move forward.

  • Film

Date published: December 2020


End of life care for adults: service delivery (NG142)

Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This guideline covers organising and delivering end of life care services, which provide care and support in the final weeks and months of life (or for some conditions, years), and the planning and preparation for this. It aims to ensure that people have access to the care that they want and need in all care settings. It also includes advice on services for carers.

  • Guide

Date published: October 2019


Advance care planning: a quick guide

Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This is a short and visually appealing guide for registered managers of care homes and home care services, containing key information from the relevant NICE guidance.

  • Guide

Date published: March 2019


Person-centred future planning: a quick guide

Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This is a quick guide for practitioners supporting people growing older with learning disabilities. It looks at the core principles to help in planning for the future and creating associated support.

  • Guide

Date published: January 2019


Care of dying adults in the last days of life (QS144)

Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This NICE quality standard advocates that people who have signs and symptoms that suggest they may be in the last days of life are monitored for further changes to help determine if they are nearing death, stabilising or recovering.

It also includes statements and measures on:

  • opportunities to discuss individualised care plans
  • anticipatory medicines
  • discussions about hydration options
  • Guide

Date published: March 2017



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