Advance Care Planning in Queensland: What to Know

If something happened to you tomorrow and you couldn’t communicate your wishes, who would speak for you?

Sadly, it’s something many Queenslanders don’t consider until a health emergency strikes. We know how overwhelming it feels to face these decisions, especially when you’re already managing a life-limiting illness.

At PalAssist, we provide free support from registered nurses and allied health professionals to help you work through these planning steps with clarity and compassion.

Queensland Health offers advanced care planning tools to prevent this burden. They legally record your wishes so your care follows your decisions when you can’t speak for yourself.

So how do you take control of your future health care, both legally and practically?

This article will walk you through the specific steps to prepare an advance care plan in Queensland, which documents you’ll need, where to find them, and how to share your wishes.

We’ll start with the main documents you’ll need for your advance care plan.

Essential ACP Forms and Legal Documents in Queensland

Advance care planning in Queensland involves multiple documents, like AHD, EPOA, Statement of Choices, and mental health. Some are legal, while others help guide decisions if you can’t speak. Here’s what you need to know about these ACP forms in QLD:

Key Advance Care Planning Documents in Queensland

Queensland offers these four advance care planning documents, and you can complete whichever forms meet your needs:

Advance Health Directive (AHD): AHD gives you specific directions about future health care and medical treatment. It also lets you appoint an attorney to make decisions if you can’t. Your doctor or nurse practitioner must sign the document, and a witness (like a Justice of the Peace, lawyer, or notary) must be present.
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA): You can use this form to give someone you trust the power to handle personal or financial decisions when you’re unable. The same person can handle both areas, or you can choose different people.
Statement of Choices (Form A or B): The SoC records your care preferences but isn’t legally binding. You pick Form A if you can make your own decisions, or Form B if someone else needs to make decisions on your behalf.
Mental Health Directives: If you want to document preferences specifically for mental health treatment, Queensland offers a separate advance health directive form designed for mental health care.

You can fill in one document or several. Many people complete both an Advance Health Directive and a Statement of Choices to cover all bases.

What Each Document Does and Doesn’t Do

As you can see, only the Advance Health Directive and Enduring Power of Attorney are legally binding. So your doctors must follow these legal documents when you can’t make decisions yourself. The Statement of Choices guides conversations but doesn’t give or refuse consent for treatment.

And not just for the AHD, an EPOA also needs a JP (Justice of the Peace), lawyer, or notary public to act as a witness. The Statement of Choices just needs you and a doctor or nurse practitioner to sign it.

How to Store and Share Your ACP Forms

After you complete your documents, send copies to the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning. They will review your forms and upload them to the ACP Tracker. You can submit them by email (acp@health.qld.gov.au), fax (1300 008 227), or post (PO Box 2274, Runcorn QLD 4113).

Once your forms are in the ACP Tracker, paramedics, hospital doctors, and your GP can access your documents when they need them. Your wishes will follow you across different hospitals and care settings.

Also, don’t forget to give copies to your attorneys, family, your regular doctor, and anyone else involved in your care, so everyone knows your preferences and can act accordingly.

Next, you’ll need to appoint the right people to speak for you and update your advance care plans.

Appointing Health Attorneys and Substitute Decision Makers in QLD

The people you choose to speak for you are your attorneys or substitute decision makers. You select them while you have decision-making capacity, and they only step in if you lose that capacity. So let’s look at what capacity means and how you can choose the right people to speak for you.

What is ‘Decision Making Capacity’?

Decision-making capacity means you can understand your health care options, make choices freely, and communicate what you decide. Generally, the Queensland law assumes all adults have this capacity unless there’s evidence showing otherwise. This capacity can change over time and vary depending on how complex the decision is.

After you complete an Advance Health Directive, a doctor or nurse practitioner checks that you understand it and how it impacts your future health decisions.

Choosing Your Substitute Decision Maker

Your substitute decision maker is usually someone you have a close and continuing relationship with, like a spouse, partner, unpaid carer, or close relative. These people will act as your statutory health attorneys if you haven’t formally appointed anyone.

Yes, that means you can name more than one person as your attorney. Just make sure you specify if they will decide together, separately, or by majority vote. But note that paid carers and your health care providers cannot legally be appointed as attorneys.

Keeping Your Plan Current

Now, all you need to do is check your documents every two to three years or after major life events. For instance, marriage, divorce, or changes with your attorney signal it’s time to update.

Other changes, like moving house or choosing different treatments, can also happen. So, whenever there’s a major change, create new documents and share them with your attorneys, family, doctor, and the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning.

Start Your Advance Care Planning Journey Today

So, how are you feeling about advance care planning after reading this? We know end-of-life conversations are scary, but taking even one small step today can be reassuring for the future.

Your first step is to download the Queensland forms from the government website, or simply talk to someone you trust about your values. If you already have documents, review them to check they still reflect your wishes.

Need support getting started? Our registered nurses at Pal Assist can talk you through your care planning options without any pressure or judgement.

Call us free on 1800 772 273, seven days a week from 7 am to 7 pm. We’re here to help you move forward at your own pace.

Disclaimer

This blog provides general health and product information for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace advice from your healthcare professional. Always seek guidance from your GP, nurse, continence advisor, or pharmacist regarding your individual needs. If symptoms persist or you’re unsure about product use, consult a qualified healthcare provider.