Advance Care Planning

I’ve finally completed the Advance Care Plan I first considered five years ago.   The idea is to think about what kind of care you’d want if you had a serious illness, or were coming to the end of your life, and record your preferences.  This is in addition to the Enduring Powers of Attorney (for Personal Care and Welfare, and for Property) which everyone is advised to have.

I talked about my plan with my husband and with a group of friends, and today I talked about it with my G.P.  I’d hoped to have it lodged on my electronic health record so it would be available to medical staff if I was seriously injured or unwell, and in hospital.  This is advised by the Government’s Health, Quality, and Safety Commission.  To my  surprise my G.P. told me that lodging the plan would take her some time, and G.P.s are not funded to do this unless the person is within two years of their death (how would we know?).  We agreed  that I would email her a copy and she will file it with my notes.  If I’m ever admitted to hospital she will know (because she’ll get notifications of blood tests, etc) and will then be able to lodge my plan if required.

I’m continually amazed at how little G.P.s are funded for, especially as the ones in Canterbury do a great job of keeping their patients out of hospital (Primary health care).  I understand the results in this area are better than for any other DHB.  The new subsidies for patient visits which came in on 1 April are great, but they cover only two visits per patient per year.  If you need more visits you’ll still be charged the subsidised rate, but the G.P. has to cover the difference.  These subsidies actually mean that G.P.s have taken a drop in income.  While Junior Doctors in hospitals are striking and getting salary increases, G..Ps are falling further behind.  It’s no wonder we are facing a crisis with so few newly trained doctors wanting to enter General Practice.

New doctors we are training will
prefer to specialise their skill.