Digital ReSPECT forms rolled out in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent for first time, enabling personalised clinical care during emergency situations.
18 September 2024
Healthcare providers in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have rolled out a digital ReSPECT (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) form, to ensure patients receive the best possible, personalised care during an emergency.
Since 10 June, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), St Giles Hospice and five GP practices have had the capability to create and edit the ReSPECT forms, while others have view-only access. Remaining organisations are set to go live over the coming months.
The forms are a digital version of the ReSPECT process created by Resuscitation Council UK. Created by population health and care record specialists, Graphnet Health, they have been fully accredited by the Resuscitation Council.
ReSPECT can be viewed on electronic patient records (EPRs) via the One Health and Care shared care record. Patients also receive a paper copy of the ReSPECT document.
Created through conversations with the patient, their family and care professionals, the ReSPECT forms record the personalised recommendations for a person’s clinical care in a future emergency, if at that time they do not have capacity to make or express choices.
The plan firstly captures what is important to the patient and, secondly, what is realistic in terms of their care and treatment. This includes clinical advice on whether CPR should be attempted in the event of cardiac arrest.
“The ReSPECT document is for anyone but will have increasing relevance for people who have complex health needs, people who are likely to be nearing the end of their lives, and people who are at risk of sudden deterioration or cardiac arrest,” explains Dr Zia Din, Joint Chief Clinical Information Officer and ReSPECT Lead for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS).
“Having that information available digitally, via the shared care record, to everyone involved in an individual’s care means no time is wasted in the event of an emergency. Whether it’s a paramedic attending to a patient or a doctor in an emergency department (ED), they provide clarity around what the patient’s wishes are and what the clinical recommendation is for certain treatments and procedures.”
