The ‘My Wishes’ register is an important secure record of how patients wish to be cared for as they approach the end of their life. It ensures people caring for them know what they want.
It records the type of care patients would like to receive, cultural or religious choices, whether or not a person has made any notice of a legal refusal of treatment and appointment of a lasting power of attorney for personal welfare and preferences of where an individual has chosen to die.
Joining up care
The My Wishes register is used by health and social care professionals involved in patients’ care and in the months ahead will also be able to be accessed not only by doctors and hospice staff but district and community nurses, ambulance staff and social services.
The register is already used by GP surgeries in the Canterbury and Thanet areas, with south Kent and Ashford surgeries due to come on stream during the next three months.
Regional improvement
My Wishes is the latest part of a two year project, Project Invicta, which aims to improve the way end of life care patients are looked after by the NHS and Pilgrims Hospices. Now at the halfway point, Project Invicta has already seen the successful introduction of a 24 hour care navigation centre. Based at Ashford, this is available to hospice patients and patients on the My Wishes register round the clock.
Another part of the project has been the introduction of a new drug chart for use by professionals in patients’ homes, setting out their medication needs.
Project Invicta is also looking at how to improve availability, and a more timely supply, of prescribed drugs from specialist pharmacists in east Kent.
Mavis Williams, project manager, said: “The My Wishes register and the Care Navigation Centre have been major milestones in our first 12 months and we look forward to making further improvements for Pilgrims patients during the project’s remaining time.”
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