Advance Care Planning 
Advance Care Planning is an umbrella term covering personal, legal, clinical, and financial planning. It enables a person to think about what is important to them and plan for their future.
It is a voluntary process and helps a person to make known what their wishes, feelings, beliefs and values are, and to make choices that reflect these. Advance Care Planning is an on-going process of conversations between a person, those important to them and those providing care, support or treatment.
Advance Care Planning is important for all adults, at whatever stage of life. Although Advance Care Planning has traditionally been associated with end of life care, it is more far reaching than this. As well as supporting decisions in declining health and unexpected emergencies, Advance Care Planning also provides opportunities to reflect and consider what is important to the person, which can enhance their quality of life now and in the future. It may also provide comfort and reassurance to those important to the person.
Advance Care Planning should be an important part of life for all adults. It needs to be encouraged by those providing care, support or treatment, to ensure that people have the opportunity to have timely, realistic and practical conversations. Some adults may require support for Advance Care Planning. These conversations focus on what matters to the person and what would be important for them to prioritise in the future should they become unable to make decisions for themselves.
In October 2022 the Department of Health launched the For Now and For the Future: An Advance Care Planning Policy for Adults in Northern Ireland.
For more information on Advance Care Planning please visit Department of Health Advance Care Planning.
Organ Donation:
The current legislation for Northern Ireland is to opt in to organ and tissue donation. You can do this by joining the NHS Organ Donation register at www.organdonationni.info and then share your decision with those important to you.
From spring 2023, the law around organ donation will change to an opt-out system. Find out more on the Organdonationni Changes to the law.