To celebrate National Future Care Plan Day 2026 we are running a free online taster session for all our partner boards and organisations.  Participants will watch a real time interactive demonstration led by EC4H tutors and will have the opportunity throughout the demonstration to contribute suggestions and feedback to the tutor team via the chat box.

Future care planning is about thinking and planning ahead for people at any age or stage of their life.  This interactive webinar is aimed at health care professionals who are involved in future care planning conversations.

During the webinar will explore effective ways to help people think and plan ahead. Clinicians need to be able to talk about emergency treatment and care planning (e.g. Treatment Escalation Plans and ReSPECT), goals of care, and planning for care around dying, including DNACPR discussions.
The RED-MAP framework supports these conversations.

This webinar is open to staff from all health boards and organisations.

Overview

The theme for Future Care Plan Day 2026 is ‘supporting people and communities who are marginalised’. Within the UK these groups include; people with physical and mental disabilities, prisoners, LGBTQ+ communities, those who do not have English as their first language, those who live within underserved and rural communities

This session will focus on initiating future care planning conversations with people and communities who are marginalised.

Scenario

Patient (Mr John Brown) has had repeated admissions with infective exacerbations of COPD. There is a strong probability of underlying malignancy, although no clear lesions seen on CT and too frail for further tests such as bronchoscopy because of poor lung function. Future treatment should be palliative and supportive.

Patient is deteriorating rapidly with a further infection but seems to have no insight into how unwell he is. He believes the doctors have been 'useless' as he has had repeated scans/tests which have shown 'nothing,' but he still feels 'lousy.'  His wife appears to understand how unwell he is.

He is frail, losing weight, malnourished (albumin 16) and requires assistance with ADLs. As he has been a life long smoker he has poor lung function (can’t really get out the house due to shortness of breath). At times even talking makes him short of breath. He has found the oxygen useful in hospital as it helps his breathing and make him feel better. Mr Brown has also complained during this stay in hospital that the staff seem too busy to talk to him.It has made him feel like a "2^nd class citizen".  

He had a past history of being in prison for a violent assault involving grievous bodily harm about 8 years ago. He served 7 years and was released just 12 months ago; he has struggled with his mental health since.

The patient has full capacity for medical decision making and wants to know whether he can get home in time from hospital for his grandson’s birthday party on Saturday and nobody wants to discuss CPR although it would not work and/or be in his best interests. He wants some oxygen to take home as well but is a smoker and in fact his O2 saturations, now his chest infection has been treated, don’t qualify for home oxygen.

Tutor Team

Dr Belinda Hacking

EC4H Lead Tutor

Dr Belinda Hacking set up EC4H in 2002 and has led the development of this national training network. She has worked with professionals in healthcare across the UK developing the EC4H coaching and training programmes in clinical communication.  Until January 2025, Belinda worked for NHS Lothian as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Psychology.  Belinda has a special interest in shared decision-making in healthcare and has more than 40 publications focusing on psychological adjustment in palliative care, clinical communication and shared decision making. HCPC accredited. British Psychological Society membership: 33194

Jennifer Pyper

EC4H Tutor

Jennifer is the retired Bereavement Lead for NHS Lothian.   

She completed her EC4H tutor training through the NES sponsored programme in 2010.  Jennifer's clinical background is as a resuscitation officer in NHS Lothian with a special interest in paediatrics. She regularly contributes to all levels of communication courses and is keen to promote workshops raising awareness and facilitating discussions about Children and Young People’s Acute Deterioration Management (CYPADM). NMC number: 82E0229S

Frauke Weidanz

EC4H  Senior Tutor

Dr Frauke Weidanz is a consultant in Critical Care and Acute Medicine in NHS Lothian, based mainly at the Western General Hospital. She has an interest in teaching and completed EC4H communication tutor training in 2017.

GMC number: 6070477

Fraser Christie

EC4H  Tutor

Dr Fraser Christie is a Consultant Neonatologist working in NHS Lothian.  Fraser joined the EC4H Tutor Team in 2025.