Liverpool Care Pathway – An Assessment Of Quality Of Life

The Mail has been accused of scaremongering. See here -

Liverpool Care Pathway – An Unforgivable Offence

Actually, the Mail has been measured, tempered and moderate in its reporting. Commendations to the Mail.

Medical decisions are also guided by a 'quality of life' assessment.

Mrs Kibble suffers from dementia and has carers four times a day, but her family said that they could not have allowed her to die.  

Mr Satchell said: ‘She’s had two years of life, she’s seen two newborn babies.  

Yes, she has her moments, but what do you expect? She’s 95 years old.

‘In hospital there was no care. 

I understand that they see dead people every day, but I don’t and I wasn’t having that.’

Here is MailOnline -

Still enjoying her life, the grandmother put on controversial death pathway two years ago

• Margaret Kibble was placed on the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway

• Department of Health has announced an investigation into the LCP following concerns highlighted by the Mail

By JOHN STEVENS

PUBLISHED: 23:37, 28 October 2012 | UPDATED: 23:39, 28 October 2012

She has enjoyed two years of quality time with her loving family and has just seen the birth of her fifth great-grandchild.

But if hospital doctors had had their way, none of this would have been possible for Margaret Kibble.

Her relatives told yesterday how the 95-year-old was put on the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway after medical professionals said she was about to die.

Recovery: Margaret Kibble with granddaughter Emily

She was only taken off it when family members heard her begging for water and ordered staff to put the great grandmother back on food and fluids. 

Now, 22 months on, she is still enjoying life back at home.

The Liverpool Care Pathway, which involves the sedation of patients and the removal of tubes giving them food and fluids, was designed to ease the suffering of the terminally ill in their final hours.

But there are concerns that a number of patients have been put on the pathway without it being explained to their family and when they are not in their final hours of life.

Mrs Kibble was admitted to hospital in Lewisham, south-east London, in January 2011 with severe bleeding a month after she had a heart attack. 

Initially, doctors told her daughter and son-in-law that she had minutes to live, but she repeatedly defied expectations.

Her condition appeared to stabilise and she was moved to a ward. 

But she was then placed in a side room on her own and during one visit her family claim hospital staff suddenly removed all her drips and feeding tubes without telling them what was going on.

Her son-in-law Graham Satchell, 57, said: ‘They walked in, took off her drips, took everything away, turned off the monitor and everything else.

Controversial: Margaret was put on the pathway in December 2010 but her family, 

including Margaret's daughter Annette and her husband Graham (pictured) demanded 

she was taken off it and nearly two years later she is still alive

That night we were not even allowed to give her any water, but we basically ignored it and my daughter Emily wet her mouth with a tissue.’

Emily Satchell, 24, said: ‘The fact they wouldn’t let me give her a drink was horrible because she kept saying she wanted water and I had to say you cannot have it.

'I was upset and gave it to her.’

The next day Mr Satchell asked for a meeting with doctors to find out what was happening. 

He said: ‘That’s when it got explained what was really going on, that she was on the Liverpool Care Pathway.

‘I just lost it big time and they put all the drips back on. 

I think they were doing it to calm me down, but she started to come round. 

Then the next morning we walked in and all the doctors were around her bed. We thought, “Oh, she’s gone”. 

But she was sitting up in bed having a cup of tea. It was unbelievable.’

Mrs Kibble suffers from dementia and has carers four times a day, but her family said that they could not have allowed her to die. 

Mr Satchell said: ‘She’s had two years of life, she’s seen two newborn babies. 

Yes, she has her moments, but what do you expect? She’s 95 years old.

‘In hospital there was no care.

I understand that they see dead people every day, but I don’t and I wasn’t having that.’

Last week, the Department of Health announced an investigation into the LCP following concerns highlighted by the Mail.

But it will be run by a Health Department organisation, the National End of Life Care Programme, and medical organisations that have been deeply involved in promoting and operating the pathway. 

MPs and doctors have criticised the inquiry for not being independent.

A spokesman for Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust said: ‘We take patients’ complaints seriously, however, we cannot comment on this case until we’ve had a chance to investigate fully.’