National Advance Care Planning Week (16–22 March) is an important reminder for all of us working in health care: despite strong community support for planning ahead, only one in three Australians have taken steps to plan their future healthcare, and just 6% have completed a formal advance care directive.
For clinicians across Western Sydney, this is a critical opportunity to initiate conversations that ensure patients’ healthcare preferences are understood, respected and documented.
Effective advance care planning helps to:
- Ensure patients’ values and wishes guide their care
- Reduce stress and uncertainty for families
- Support more coordinated, person‑centred decision‑making
- Information and education sessions
- Community conversations and morning teas
- Advance care planning support activities
- Professional development events
Clinicians and services can also register their own activity or access resources through Advance Care Planning Australia.
Strengthening advance care planning in primary care, aged care and hospital settings ensures our diverse Western Sydney community receives the care that aligns with what matters most to them.