Making an advance care plan
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What to consider before you make a plan
Planning your future health care can be difficult because most of us don’t know what our future health care needs may be.
Knowing what’s important to you can make some of those decisions easier, so before you start planning think about:
- your current health
- your values, beliefs and preferences
- the type of care and treatment you would or wouldn’t want
- any directions you want people to follow
- who you can trust to speak for you, if you’re unable.
When you feel ready, you can take the following steps.
Step 1 – Discuss the future health care you want
Talk about your future health care with your family or other important people in your life.
Your partner, family and friends
It's easier for people to support your future health care when they know what you do and don't want. The end of life care discussion starters from Palliative Care Australia can help you start conversations with your partner, family and friends.
People you want to decide about your care (attorneys)
If you're appointing an attorney, make sure they understand their role and the type of decisions they may have to make.
Attorneys aren't legal professionals, they're substitute decision-makers who can decide about your care. Learn more about their role on the Advance Care Planning Australia website.
Your GP and other health professionals
If you have a medical condition or health needs, talk to your GP or medical team about your future health, care options, and medical treatments. They'll help you make informed choices. A doctor or nurse practitioner must check you understand your choices before they sign your advance health directive or statement of choices.
Step 2 - Record your care preferences
If you live in Queensland, use the following documents to record your future health care choices.
Advance health directive
This legal document lets you give directions in certain situations about your future health care and treatments. You can also use it to appoint an attorney for health matters.
Enduring power of attorney
This document lets you legally appoint one or more people (attorneys) to make decisions about your health, your finances or both.
Statement of choices
This isn't a legal document. It records your values and preferences for health care, and guides the people who may need to make health care decisions for you.
Download the Queensland advance care planning forms.
Step 3 – Share your advance care planning documents
Make sure the right people know about your advance care plan, and where to find it.
Keep your original documents.
Give copies of your documents to anyone who may need to be involved in your future health care, including:
- attorneys
- family and friends
- your GP, health professionals or caregivers.
Send a copy to the Queensland Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning
Send a copy of your documents to the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning.
You can send these by:
- email: acp@health.qld.gov.au
- fax: 1300 008 227
- post: PO Box 2274, Runcorn QLD 4113.
They'll check the documents are complete, using checklists and criteria, and upload them to your secure Queensland Health electronic hospital record (The Viewer).
The checklists and criteria align with administrative needs and requirements in the Powers of Attorney Act 1998.
You can call the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning for free information and support on 1300 007 227.
Step 4 – Review your advance care planning documents
Review your advance care planning documents often, to make sure they're up to date with your current values and circumstances.
You may need to do this when:
- your health, personal or living situation changes
- your preferences change
- you want to change or appoint new attorneys.
You can change or cancel documents at any time, as long as you still have the capacity to make decisions.
Learn how to change or cancel your documents.
About the Queensland Health electronic hospital record
The Queensland Health electronic hospital record (The Viewer) holds information about everyone who has care at a Queensland Health facility.
Having your documents in The Viewer can reassure you about your future care.
It helps authorised health professionals:
- find and look at your documents quickly, if they need to
- know your advance care planning documents are complete and have met eligibility criteria
- know the care you want or don't want.
People who can see your documents may include hospital health professionals, your GP, medical specialists, pharmacist, or an ambulance officer. They'll only use The Viewer and your documents in line with Queensland laws.
Learn more about The Viewer on the Queensland Health website.
As an extra step, you can also upload advance care planning documents to your My Health Record.
End-of-life preferences database
To inform health service planning, the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning manages a de-identified central database of Queenslanders’ preferences for end of life care. It records preferences as they appear on the statement of choices and advance health directive. Learn more about the privacy and confidentiality policies that protect the de-identified data.