Liverpool Care Pathway - The LCP Review: All Sewn Up!

Submissions for the 'impartial review' receive an acknowledgement from Tessa Ing. Tessa is Head of the End of Life Care Programme at the Department of Health, and an Observer to the Board of Trustees of the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC). 

Tessa supports End of Life Care Pathways. A presentation given by Tessa is here - End of Life Care, Liberating the NHS, and QIPP.

Tessa is listed in this Generic Report (National Care of the Dying Audit 2008/2009) as a National LCP Reference Group Member. The Group is thanked in the acknowledgements by Marie Curie for their valuable support and advice throughout the project.She has also been involved on the Policy Team in rolling out the LCP -

   End of Life Care Strategy 'Almost one year on’ -

   Professor Mike Richards, June 2009
    

Tessa is screening the submissions....

Is this an impartial review?

Is Tessa really the right person for the job?

Once the 'review' has been completed, the panel will submit its report to the NHS Commissioning Board...

Are the Commissioners impartial? Ciaran Devane, for instance, joined Macmillan Cancer Support as Chief Executive in May 2007, co-chairs the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, sits on the board of the National Cancer Intelligence Network and is a trustee of The Makaton Charity..

The review is not into the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP); it is into the implementation of the LCP. But which version? We are now on version 12.

The LCP (mark 12) complies with provisions of the Mental Capacity Act in the regard of capacity and informed consent. LCP (mark 11) was current until 2010 when version 12 was published.

Communication is supposed to be a priority goal, but the recommendation to confirm the ability to communicate in English is made at goal 4 after the syringe drivers are already set up, if appropriate, at goal 1 and within 4 hours of doctor's order at goal three. This version may be read hear -

Care of the dying Pathway (lcp) (Hospital)