Liverpool Care Pathway - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

A lesser man would have permitted this to proceed.

This man stood up to them and stood his ground.

This is Basingstoke Gazette -

Chineham woman survives 20 months after husband refused to put her on pathway

8:40am Thursday 7th February 2013 in NewsBy Helen Morton

Tony Davie with a picture of his late wife

A CHINEHAM woman, whose husband refused to let medics put her on the Liverpool Care Pathway, survived for a further 20 months.

The LCP should only be used in “the last days or hours of life”, according to guidance. But Tony Davie told The Gazette that if he had not fought to keep his wife Margaret off the pathway, he believes she would have died in hospital in January 2011.

Instead, he said his wife had a “reasonably good” quality of life until August 2012 and was able to take trips to see her children, enjoy days out and watch her favourite TV programmes before she passed away at the age of 83.

Mrs Davie suffered a stroke in Basingstoke hospital on January 23, 2011. Mr Davie said: “A day later, I was told by a doctor that Margaret was to be moved to a side ward and that her feeding tube would be removed and that she would be kept comfortable. I had to fight to stop that happening.”

He added: “I was asked by the medical staff what I knew about the Liverpool Care Pathway. I said I knew it was a process by which old people were left to die, and I told them that was not going to happen to Margaret.”

Mrs Davie’s treatment continued at the hospital, in Aldermaston Road, until she was allowed back to her home in Petty’s Brook Road, Chineham, with her husband on March 28, 2011.

Mr Davie, a former Royal Marine and policeman, said: “She was in a hospital bed and I employed two specialist stroke physiotherapists, but she did make progress.

“In the months before she died, I was told she wouldn’t be able to sit with me on the sofa but she did. I was told she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere by car, but we did.

“She had as good a quality of life as you could expect. I am sure that if she had had her feeding tube removed, she would have died in January 2011.”

Mrs Davie was admitted for the last time to Basingstoke hospital on July 26, 2012, after vomiting blood caused by bleeding from gastric ulcers in her stomach. She died on August 2.

Mary Edwards, chief executive at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am sad to hear of the death of Mr Davie’s wife, and would encourage Mr Davie to talk to us about any concerns he may have.”

The Good.

This brave man won 20 precious months of life that the LCP protocols would have snatched away.

The Bad.

Mary, as Chief Executive at the Trust, you support, endorse and enforce the protocols of the LCP.

Mary, do not patronise this poor man with your counterfeit sympathy and fake concern.

And the Ugly.

The LCP, part of the EoL Programme, is an assessment of quality of life and the Programme is a euthanasia programme.

The LCP is the LKP, a Licence to Kill People.