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Palliative cancer care - general issues - Management
What communication issues are important?
- Communicate effectively with the person, their carers, and other health professionals. Those who need to communicate particularly complex or distressing information should have enhanced skills, or be supported by someone who has those skills.
- Assess, on an ongoing basis, how the person wishes to be involved in making decisions about their own care, and what information they and their family need.
- Arrange appropriately trained interpreters for people who may otherwise find it difficult to communicate in their preferred language.
- The NHS End of Life Care Programme discusses advance care planning and documentation of the wishes of people with a life-limiting condition, including advance care plans, statements of wishes and preferences, and advance decisions. For more information, see www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/eolc.
- The Gold Standards Framework also includes advance care planning and has developed an advance statement of wishes template to support discussion and recording of a person's preference for place of care. For more information, see www.goldstandardsframework.nhs.uk.
In depth
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