Abstract

‘This document is intended to provide staff with information about the person being cared for as an individual. This will enhance the care and support given while patients are in an unfamiliar environment. It is not a medical document. It is about the person at the time the document is completed and may need to be updated if necessary. It can be completed by the person themselves or with help from their carer. It has been adapted from a similar document titled ‘This is me’ produced by the Royal College of Nursing and the Alzheimer’s Society.’ The ‘This is me’ document has been adapted to remove references to dementia and tailor the questions more to the individual needs of patients within the hospice environment. The idea was to get away from the electronic computer system of recording patient care and interactions, to have a document that represented the patient as an individual with individual wishes, hopes, fears and desires. The Hospice ethos is to have patient-centred, family-focused care and I believe this document encourages this from first contact with a family. Questions such as: ‘The kind of things that help me feel at peace are…’; ‘My home and family, things that are important to me…’; ‘I like to relax by…’ are specific questions which help our Spiritual Care Team form closer bonds with patients and their carers. Other prompts help clarify issues for members of our multi-disciplinary team such as questions regarding ‘My Mobility’ are designed to help assessments for the physiotherapy team. All of the questions have value to teams and the information is considered vital for holistic, patient-centred care. We also aim to help patients and relatives celebrate special events or wishes whenever possible as identified in this document.