A 14-week quality improvement partnership project was undertaken with care/nursing homes in the most deprived area of Scotland during the COVID-19 crisis. Care home staff were trained to use the internationally recognised Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) (Highet, Crawford, Murray, 2014) to identify patients who would benefit from anticipatory care plans (ACP) and then care plans were developed for identified individuals. An ACP sticker was developed to act as an aide- memoire during emergencies, ensuring patient autonomy. Monthly reviews were undertaken, and a calculated 134 hospital bed days were saved due to developed ACPs, and an estimated £159,460 saved from avoided admissions for local NHS. Perhaps, more importantly this upskilled care home staff to recognise palliative conditions and reduced pressure on hospital beds at a time when these were crucially required for COVID-19 patients.