Patients and carers in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have access to digital ReSPECT forms following a digitisation programme led by a major NHS trust, hospice and local GPs
The digital ReSPECT documents are already in use at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), St Giles Hospice and five GP practices in the region, while a number of organisations will go live soon.
ReSPECT forms (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) inform care professionals of the personalised care requested during an emergency. Created by the Resuscitation Council UK and health and care record specialists, the forms can be accessed via the electronic patient record (EPR) used by local NHS providers and the One Health and Care shared care record. The patient also has their own paper copy of the document.
The form is created following a conversation between the patient, family and care professionals and details personalised recommendations for clinical care in the case of a future emergency and the patient does not have the capacity to reveal their choices. Details contained within the document include what matters to the patient and what is realistic, such as whether CPR should be used in the event of a cardiac arrest.
Increasing relevance
“The ReSPECT document is for anyone but will have increasing relevance for people who have complex health needs, people who are likely to be nearing the end of their lives, and people who are at risk of sudden deterioration or cardiac arrest,” Dr Zia Din, Joint Chief Clinical Information Officer and ReSPECT Lead for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS) said.
“Having that information available digitally, via the shared care record, to everyone involved in an individual’s care means no time is wasted in the event of an emergency. Whether it’s a paramedic attending to a patient or a doctor in an emergency department (ED), they provide clarity around what the patient’s wishes are, and what the clinical recommendation is for certain treatments and procedures,” he added.
