What is the Advance ProjectTM?
The Advance ProjectTM is a free, evidence-based suite of practical resources and a training package specifically designed to support GPs, nurses and practice managers to initiate advance care planning conversations and assess patients’ and carers’ palliative and supportive care needs. The Advance Project is one of the National Palliative Care Projects, funded by the Australian Government since 2016, and led by HammondCare working in collaboration with various health organisations and universities across Australia.
The Advance ProjectTM Toolkit of resources was informed by a literature review of the best available evidence about tools to support palliative care and advance care planning in general practice, as well as through input from an expert advisory group and feedback from general practice nurses, general practitioners and Carers Australia.
The Advance ProjectTM eLearning module for General Practitioners has been approved as a CPD activity by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and accredited by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
The Advance ProjectTM eLearning module for General Practice Nurses has been endorsed by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) according to approved quality standards criteria.
The Advance ProjectTM eLearning modules for General Practice Managers have been approved by the Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM).
What is the aim of the Advance ProjectTM?
The Advance ProjectTM aims to enable better health care outcomes in Australian general practices through:
- enabling earlier consideration and uptake of advance care planning
- enabling more efficient use of general practitioner and nurse time in providing palliative and supportive care
- enabling more appropriate and timely referrals to specialist palliative care services if required
- increasing confidence and comfort levels for primary care clinicians to initiate conversations with patients and their carers about advance care planning and palliative/supportive care
- upskilling general practice managers to support general practitioners and general practice nurses to overcome any barriers to successful implementation of the Advance Project tools and resources into routine practice.
Who is it for?
- Registered and enrolled nurses who are currently working in Australian general practices
- General practitioners currently working in Australia
- Practice managers of Australian general practices
What are the benefits of the Advance Project for general practice?
The team-based approach to initiating advance care planning and palliative care that is promoted by the Advance Project will help to break down some of the barriers to advance care planning in general practice. It will also enable the practice to more efficiently:
- identify patients who might be at risk of deteriorating and dying
- assess and address the supportive care needs of patients who might be at risk of deteriorating and dying
- assess and address the needs of carers of patients who might be at risk of deteriorating and dying
- identify patients who might benefit from early referral to specialist palliative care services.
What are the future plans for the program?
The Advance ProjectTM has received further funding from the Australian Government to adapt some of the existing training programs and practical resources to develop a new suite of dementia-specific advance care planning and palliative care resources for frontline staff working in aged care and primary care. This new project running for three years from July 1, 2020, will tailor the existing Advance ProjectTM resources to be used with people living with dementia, while developing new resources to enable primary and aged care professionals to:
- Initiate conversations about ACP with people living with dementia at different stages of cognitive decline
- Empower, prepare families to advocate for the person’s end of life care wishes in the future
- Identify people with dementia who would benefit from a structured assessment of their palliative and supportive care needs
- Systematically assess the palliative care needs of the person and assess their family’s needs for support and information
- Identify those people with dementia who would most benefit from referral to specialist PC.
The new training program and resources will target primary care nurses and aged care nurses, case managers, care coordinators and careworkers working in residential and community aged care, explaining how to use the resources in their everyday practice. We are currently consulting with various stakeholders to co-design the new training and resources.
Find out more about Phase 3 of The Advance Project
If you would like more information, or to register for the free resources or training please visit: www.theadvanceproject.com.au or email AdvanceProject@hammond.com.au
Last updated 09 October 2020