A "far-reaching, independant review..."
But in the meantime the Pathway - which is now become a 'rapid discharge pathway' - carries on regardless...
This is today's Telegraph -
Liverpool Care Pathway: far-reaching independent review announced
Norman Lamb, the care minister, has announced a far-reaching independent review of the Liverpool Care Pathway, saying it is “unacceptable” that people are being put on it without their relatives being informed.
6:53PM GMT 26 Nov 2012
The pathway, designed to ease the suffering of patients in their last hours or days of life, has come under intense scrutiny recently.
Many people have claimed loved-ones were put on the pathway - which can involve the removal of drugs, nutrition and hydration if deemed to be of no benefit to the patient - without their knowledge. Some doctors have claimed it can hasten death.
Now Mr Lamb has announced a wide-ranging review, to be overseen by an independent chairman, which will report back to him in the New Year.
It will look at a number of issues, including why doctors are sometimes not informing relatives of decisions to put patients on the LCP, and the question of payments to hospitals for meeting targets on their use of the pathway.
The Daily Telegraph revealed last month that six in 10 NHS hospital trusts had received payments totalling £12 million or more for attaining these goals. In some hospitals more than half of all dying patients are put on the pathway
Department of Health officials have insisted that the payments are to ensure that patients are “treated with dignity” as they die - and many doctors argue the widespread adoption of the LCP has led to improved care for the dying.
But Mr Lamb said on Monday night that he wanted to ensure the payments were working as they should, and not providing a perverse incentive to put patients on the pathway.
He said of the review: "It is clear that everyone wants their loved ones' final hours of life to be as pain free and dignified as possible, and the Liverpool Care Pathway is an important part of achieving this aim.
“However as we have seen, there have been too many cases where patients were put on the pathway without a proper explanation or their families being involved. This is simply unacceptable.”
Whoever is chosen to chair the process will also oversee three separate reviews of end-of-life care - by the Association of Palliative Medicine, the Dying Matters group and the National End of Life Programme.
Mr Lamb said: "Today I have committed to appoint an independent chair to review how end of life care is working and oversee the reviews into the Liverpool Care Pathway.
“They will report back to me in the New Year. This review will also consider the value of locally set incentives, and whether they are leading to bad decisions or practice.”
Mr Lamb’s announcement came after a ‘round-table’ event which included members from the palliative care groups, as well as relatives unhappy at the treatment their loved-ones received on the pathway.
Denise Charlesworth-Smith, who said she was never informed that her father Philip Charlesworth, 82, was put on the pathway before he died at King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts, attended the round-table.
She welcomed the review, saying relatives were finally being listened to by doctors and politicians.
But she said: “It’s taken us making a noise about this to bring it to the fore.”
Claire Henry, director of the National End of Life Care Programme, said: "We strongly welcome the Minister’s announcement of an independent chair to help deliver these reviews. This is crucial if the findings are to be viewed credible by all.
“A main priority is to ensure that this work is undertaken transparently. We look forward to working with the appointed chair to publish findings in the New Year.”
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