The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) does not “sentence people to death”, it is instead a nationally-recognised evidence-based tool intended to help clinicians give appropriate and high-quality care to people who have reached the last few hours or days of life. Its purpose is to promote the comfort of dying people and to address the needs of their informal carers. It should not be substituted for a clinician’s professional judgement in the individual circumstances of each case. It is only one of a range of tools available to support good end of life care, and does not encourage “tick box medicine” which can never be justified. Like all tools, it should be used by people who are skilled and competent.
Improving end of life care is increasingly regarded as a major national priority. However at present, too many professionals are caring for people at the end of life without having had appropriate training. That must change, urgently. Core training in palliative care must become compulsory for all health and social care professionals, both before they qualify and as part of their continuing education. Without this we will not bring about the improvements we all want to see.
People at the end of life and their relatives should be given accurate information about the care that is available to them, including the Liverpool Care Pathway. These issues should not be debated or reported in an inflammatory way. Otherwise there are risks both of causing unnecessary distress at a most vulnerable time in people’s lives and of preventing people from receiving the care that they need.
Media enquiries
Help the Hospices - Katie Brewin tel 0207 520 8295
k.brewin@helpthehospices.org.uk
