JACK, BARBARA

Kinloch, Karen

KIRTON, JENNIFER

O'BRIEN, MARY

Background:The importance of Advance Care Planning and a workforce who are confident and competent in initiating this, is essential for optimal care. Furthermore, ACP discussions and subsequent documentation need to be commenced at a timely point to ensure the preferences of patients are explored and recorded before a patient could lose mental capacity or if an emergency health situation arises, as seen with the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Studies have reported lack of confidence and preparedness of front-line staff, resulting on potential delays in ACP discussions commencing. To date, the impact Advance Care Planning training for front-line staff has not been widely explored.Aims: To assess the impact of training on front-line staffs’ perceptions of Advance Care Planning in care homes, community and hospital settings.Methods: An electronic mixed methods survey was distributed to staff working in care homes, hospital and community settings undertaking a one-day training course in Advance Care Planning at one of nine locations in North-West England. Two hundred and forty eight staff completed the survey at the end of the training day. Analysis of data were through descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Results: 248 staff completed the survey at the end of the training day. 94% of front-line staff felt their knowledge of Advance Care Planning had increased, and 95% felt that they were more confident about doing Advance Care Planning in their role. Four themes were identified in qualitative responses: awareness of Advance Care Planning, confident communication, recording and documenting, and being an Advance Care Planning advocate.Discussion and Conclusion: Staff receiving training reported increased confidence in undertaking Advance Care Planning in their roles. A key attribute front-line staff identified as important to their role was having the confidence and skills to initiate Advance Care Planning communication. This model of delivery has reached a wide number of front line staff across multiple setting and clearly the positive findings have shown the value of this course and potential impact on clinical practice.<br/

Exploring the impact of Advance Care Planning training on front-line health and social care professionals: a mixed methods survey

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