1281 Introducing change champions to the acute clinical environment – a nurse’s journey

<h3></h3> This presentation aims to highlight how developing change champions can support the implementation of sustainable systems to embed Advance Care Planning (ACP) into routine practice for clinicians in the hospital setting and describes the practical experience of being a change champion in a real-world setting. Metro South Health (MSH) ACP service provides a specialist service to support clinicians, patients, families, and communities to discuss, plan and document their future health care needs. Nurses working in MSH hospitals identified that time restrictions, lack of knowledge, and not recognising patients who may benefit from ACP impact engagement and creates hesitation to initiate ACP conversations with their patients. A change champion is ‘a person at any level of an organisation who is skilled at initiating, facilitating, and implementing change’ (Warrick, D.D, 2009). Change champions are recognised to be a key strategy for significant changes to succeed. MSH ACP service-initiated change champion workshops across three large public metropolitan hospitals. The workshops were focused on all hospital clinicians and were popular with nurses. They aimed to provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence, to enact change in culture and implement processes that support ACP engagement in the hospital environment. Participants of these workshops report having strengthened leadership skills, increased confidence to raise ACP conversations and advocate for better patient care and feeling ‘inspired and keen to make ACP a bigger part of our daily practice’ after attending the workshop. One of the authors [VM] was an initial attendee of these workshops. ‘The impact on my practice and career trajectory has been transforming.’ VM credits the workshop with a building her understanding and confidence to enact successful change in her ward culture, by normalising expectations of ACP discussion in day-to-day care through, Introducing ACP to the admission checklist and ACP language in clinical conversations Designing ACP artwork and promotion to provide visual engagement in ward environment for patients and clinicians. Including ACP information and prompts to the ward welcome pack for patients. Increased engagement – encouraged workshop attendance by other members of team. The workshops and engagement of champions have resulted in an increase in conversations with patients and referrals to the MSH ACP service. Nurturing change champions enhances communication, boosts engagement, accelerates implementation, and aligns with the unique needs of each workplace. Change champions are a proven strategy to employ in training and enabling a workforce to engage with ACP.