Listening to put you at the heart of your emergency healthcare
ReSPECT stands for Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment. Creating a personalised ReSPECT plan is an opportunity for you to discuss your health and what to expect from it, and to create a plan with your healthcare team about the kind of emergency care and treatment that would be right for you if your health were to change quickly in future. A ReSPECT discussion is also an opportunity for healthcare professionals to listen to what is important to you.
Who is it for?
ReSPECT may be particularly relevant for people who could take unwell because of existing health issues. However, ReSPECT can also be useful for anyone who wants to make sure their voice is heard about what matters to them in a health crisis. Having a ReSPECT plan provides guidance for health and care staff if you are unable to speak up for yourself in future. It does not replace your involvement in decisions about your care at the time you are ill.
A ReSPECT conversation involves you and a member of your healthcare team, such as a doctor, nurse or allied health professional (AHP). You can also include anyone else you would like to be present. Once you reach decisions together, these are recorded as clinical recommendations: these recommendations are a guide, and can be reviewed and updated at any time.
ReSPECT starts with an opportunity to discuss your health situation, and what that means for you going forward. Please tell us if there are things you would rather not know.
Digital ReSPECT plans are stored securely in your health record and a paper copy can be printed for you to keep. The doctor, nurse or AHP will listen to what matters most to you about your future care. You can discuss the benefits and risks of specific emergency treatments, and ask questions about options and alternatives.
The ReSPECT form
The plan will be recorded by a healthcare professional and will include your details, information about you and your health, priorities for care, clinical recommendations for care, CPR decisions, decisions about mental capacity, clinician details and your emergency contacts.
Confidentiality
NHS Ayrshire & Arran takes care to ensure your personal information is only accessible to authorised people. Our staff have a legal and contractual duty to keep personal health information secure and confidential. To find out more about how we process your information please visit the Data Protection Notice.