You have the right to make decisions about your health care, now and for the future. Medical treatment should only be given with your fully informed consent and you have the right to refuse treatment. If, in the future, you become unable to express your choices for treatment, your doctors and family/friends may not know what you want.
An Advance Care Plan gives you the opportunity to record, ahead of time, your choices. An Advance Care Plan only comes into effect if you lose legal capacity to make decisions about your medical treatment.
The Respecting Patient Choices Program promotes advance care planning. The program is about the promotion of autonomy and dignity and not about euthanasia or suicide.
The three ways to record your choices in an Advance Care Plan are:
- Appointing an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA);
- Documenting your wishes in the Statement of Choices; and/or
- Completing a Health Directive under the Medical Treatment (Health Directions) Act 2006.
The EPA and Health Directive are legal documents which comply with the Medical Treatment (Health Directions) Act 2006.
You may find the information in these booklets and forms useful and they are relevant for the ACT.
- Guide to Enduring Power of Attorney
- Enduring Power of Attorney form
- Advance Care Planning Introduction – ACT Health
- Advance Care Planning – Competent Person
- Advance Care Planning – Incompetent Person
- Health Directions form
You can find a list of organisations that provide Advance Care Planning services in the ACT and surrounding areas, here
MORE INFORMATION
ACT Respecting Patient Choices Program
02 6244 3344
rpc@act.gov.au
