Planning Care

Prompts for end-of-life planning: The PELP Framework

The PELP Framework offers guidance for delivering proactive, person-centred end-of-life care. It supports clinicians to recognise patients who are likely to deteriorate or approach the end of life within a 12-month timeframe, prompting in-depth discussions about the patient’s care preferences and goals. These continuous conversations support the development of tailored management plans that respect the patient's wishes, helping to minimise the need for difficult decisions during emotionally challenging moments.

The Framework was developed by caring@home in conjunction with a national advisory committee of GPs, palliative medicine specialists, nurse practitioners, and nurses.

Prompts for End-of-Life Planning (PELP) Framework

caring@home

Communication is critical

Being able to talk to patients and families is a crucial part of planning care for a person with palliative care needs. Discussions about advance care planning will be needed if this has not already been undertaken.

Understanding the patient's preferences will help identify options and choices. This will inform planning for a home death if that is the patient's wish.

Useful tip

Most patients expect their doctor will raise palliative care issues when needed. Find an opening statement you are comfortable using.

Key points for communication

Being able to openly discuss changes in care and talk comfortably about end-of-life issues is important. Patients respect and value this part of a GP’s role.

Plan ahead for discussions about palliative care when possible. Several strategies can help:

Clinical practice guidelines (187kb pdf) on communicating prognosis and discussing end-of-life issues are available. They provide examples of opening questions and useful phrases for these conversations
Find questions or phrases you are comfortable using to initiate and continue conversations about palliative care. Communication Starters (122kb pdf) provides a range of options.
When organising an appointment where prognostic information many be communicated, check if the patient wants someone to be there with them.

Watch the Ten Steps for What to Say and Do video presented by Dr Dian E Meir, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) (US).

Key GP resources

View CEC's PREPARED Communication Guidelines (186kb pdf)