15.07.13
LCP to be phased out, Neuberger recommends
Doctors who have abused the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP), which is likely to be phased out if the recommendations of a review into its use are followed, will face disciplinary action.
The Neuberger inquiry, published in full today, is likely to call for the LCP to be phased out, after abuse of the system was uncovered. The LCP aims to manage patients’ end of life care, and includes withdrawal of medication, food and fluids.
It was developed at Royal Liverpool University Hospital and has since been introduced in the majority of NHS hospitals.
But the LCP has suffered from damning press, with claims that some patients have been placed on the pathway without their families being informed, and that in some cases it has been used to actively hasten death, to clear beds, save money and benefit from financial incentives.
The inquiry is reported to highlight cases where patients were unnecessarily sedated and denied food or water. The LCP could be replaced by a personalised treatment plan for each patient, the Department of Health stated.
A spokesperson said: "The independent review into end of life care system the Liverpool Care Pathway, commissioned last year by Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb and backed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, is likely to recommend that the LCP is phased out over the next six to 12 months.”
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