Implementing advance care planning in a small rural health service with no specific funding or project office

Specific needs of implementing ACP are similar, regardless of location. In a small rural health service, these stages can be longer in time, leading to frustration and declining motivation of participants.

Castlemaine Health has partially implemented ACP, with the Palliative Care Special Interest Group being the key driver in the process.

From an audit of the notes from the SIG, the following have been identified as factors that need consideration:

 • length of time from initial discussions to partial implementation
 • Confirmation of the stages of implementation
 • Challenges – barriers and facilitators
 • Availability of resources

This presentation will identify how implementation processes can be modified for a small rural health care service to better facilitate implementation, and the pitfalls to avoid which potentially threaten implementation.