The COVID-19 pandemic poses a particular threat to residential care centres, due to the vulnerability of residents, resource restrictions and the pressure on other areas of the system, all of which are compounded by the impact on care professionals. The Chair of Palliative Care, the Grífols Foundation Chair of Bioethics and the C3RG research group, all of whom are affiliated to the Centre of Social and Health Studies at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), in partnership with other professionals, have drawn up a document which is designed to provide tools to support decision-making in these centres.

The document takes as its starting point the current crisis, with the attendant restrictions on both internal and external resources, and the need to respect both residents and the professionals who care for them, doing everything possible to provide care of the highest quality. It includes methods and advice for diagnosis, evaluation of resources, handling the relationship with the family, the patient and the care team, and referral criteria.