Your rights. Your voice. Your choices.

You remain the central person in your care. We should speak to you, not around you; explain what is happening; listen to your preferences; and support you to take part in decisions in whatever way works best for you.

Having care needs, a diagnosis, a disability or being older does not by itself mean that somebody else gets to decide for you.

Capacity relates to the particular decision at the particular time. It may change, and you should be given practical support to understand information, weigh it up and communicate your choice before anyone concludes that you cannot decide.

A husband, wife, partner, son, daughter, friend or person described as ‘next of kin’ does not automatically have legal authority to make decisions for you. If you cannot make a particular decision, we establish whether anyone holds the relevant legal powers and involve the appropriate health or social-care professionals.

Even where another person has legal authority, your past and present wishes, feelings, values and preferences still matter. Their powers only extend to what the legal document or court order actually permits.

‘Lasting Power of Attorney’ or LPA is the usual terminology in England and Wales. In Scotland, the relevant arrangements are Continuing, Welfare or Combined Powers of Attorney under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. They must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) before they can be used.

We will not assume that an attorney can make every decision. We need to see the registered document, understand the powers it grants and check when those powers may be used.

Future care planning helps you talk about what matters if your health changes or you become unable to explain your wishes during an emergency. It can sit alongside your Power of Attorney and ordinary care plan; one document does not automatically replace another.

You do not have to wait for a crisis. You can ask your GP or healthcare team about the planning approach used in your NHS area and whether your wishes should be recorded in an anticipatory care plan, future care plan, emergency treatment plan or another clinical record.

ReSPECT stands for Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment. It records personalised clinical recommendations for a future emergency in which you cannot make or express choices. It is created through conversation with healthcare professionals—not by a home-care provider completing a form for you.

ReSPECT is not used uniformly across Scotland. Different NHS boards may use different emergency and anticipatory care documents. We will recognise the plan that applies to you, record where it is kept and ask the relevant healthcare professional for clarification if instructions are missing, conflicting or unclear.

A ReSPECT plan is wider than a decision about CPR. It helps professionals quickly understand what matters to you and which treatments may or may not be appropriate in an emergency.

DNACPR means Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. It concerns what should happen if your heart or breathing stops. It does not mean ‘do not treat’, and it does not remove your right to personal care, comfort, symptom relief, medicines or other clinically appropriate treatment.

DNACPR is a clinical decision and record. Irene Rose Care does not decide whether one should be made. You should be involved wherever possible, information should be communicated sensitively and the decision should be reviewed when clinically appropriate or circumstances change.

You can ask for independent information, advocacy or support with a complaint. These organisations are separate from Irene Rose Care and can help you understand the available routes.