1,000 signatures reached
To: Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health
Stop abuse of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP)
Dear Jeremy Hunt,
The Liverpool Care Pathway is a healthcare programme designed to support dying patients. However, in some cases it means patients die sooner than they otherwise would - and people are sometimes put on the pathway without their knowledge or consent, or the consent and knowledge of their families.
As Health Secretary, you have the power to do something about this. We are calling on you to stop patients being placed on the Liverpool Care pathway without their written consent or the written consent of their families.
I agree with a patient’s rights to a pain-free death, but I also believe it is their right to decide how and when this happens.
The Liverpool Care Pathway is a healthcare programme designed to support dying patients. However, in some cases it means patients die sooner than they otherwise would - and people are sometimes put on the pathway without their knowledge or consent, or the consent and knowledge of their families.
As Health Secretary, you have the power to do something about this. We are calling on you to stop patients being placed on the Liverpool Care pathway without their written consent or the written consent of their families.
I agree with a patient’s rights to a pain-free death, but I also believe it is their right to decide how and when this happens.
Why is this important?
The LCP is under scrutiny because there are claims that the withdrawal of food and water and the administration of strong painkillers is speeding up the dying process. This can all happen without the consent or even the knowledge of the patient or their family.
Each year nearly 130,000 patients are put on to the Liverpool Care Pathway. That’s around 356 deaths per day.
A national audit by the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool and the Royal College of Physicians into the Liverpool Care Pathway found that last year, in 44 per cent of cases when conscious patients were placed on the pathway, there was no record that the decision had been discussed with them. That means that around 57,000 patients weren't informed that they had been put on the pathway last year.
Our Story
My mother Elise Devine was put on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, after recovering from a kidney infection. There was no justification for this - which a Jury concluded 7 years later at her inquest. A visiting doctor, who had spoken to Elsie just before she was administered unjustified Morphine, noted in the medical file that she was “happy with no complaints and waiting for her daughter”.
Her son Harry sat in the lounge area and chatted quite happily with his Mother, not knowing the LCP regime had already commenced by means of a Fentanyl patch (135 mcg morphine), which had been hidden under her clothes. He kissed his Mother goodnight and said I will see you tomorrow.
The next morning she was comatose with more drugs that had been administered by a portable syringe driver which was put into her back and placed under her pillow out of sight. The LCP commenced without Elsie or her family's knowledge or consent, no one has justified why our Mother was placed on the LCP which subsequently ended her life in 2 days, and neither Harry nor I ever spoke to our dear Mother again.
What we need to do
Currently, there is no legal requirement to get consent from a patient or family member before a patient is placed on the LCP. The NHS website states that “while legal consent is not required to place a patient on the LCP, the fact that the plan is being considered should always be discussed with a relative or carer and, if possible, the patient themselves”. This needs to change.
Please sign the petition to ensure that a law is enforced to protect us and our loved ones. A document is needed to sign to show that we agree and understand why we, or our family members, are being put on the terminal pathway and that we have given consent.
We shouldn't have to fight for justice after death; the law should be there to protect us when we are alive. This affects all of us at some point. We all have the right to say goodbye to our loved ones. Please make this happen for all our sakes.
Each year nearly 130,000 patients are put on to the Liverpool Care Pathway. That’s around 356 deaths per day.
A national audit by the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool and the Royal College of Physicians into the Liverpool Care Pathway found that last year, in 44 per cent of cases when conscious patients were placed on the pathway, there was no record that the decision had been discussed with them. That means that around 57,000 patients weren't informed that they had been put on the pathway last year.
Our Story
My mother Elise Devine was put on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, after recovering from a kidney infection. There was no justification for this - which a Jury concluded 7 years later at her inquest. A visiting doctor, who had spoken to Elsie just before she was administered unjustified Morphine, noted in the medical file that she was “happy with no complaints and waiting for her daughter”.
Her son Harry sat in the lounge area and chatted quite happily with his Mother, not knowing the LCP regime had already commenced by means of a Fentanyl patch (135 mcg morphine), which had been hidden under her clothes. He kissed his Mother goodnight and said I will see you tomorrow.
The next morning she was comatose with more drugs that had been administered by a portable syringe driver which was put into her back and placed under her pillow out of sight. The LCP commenced without Elsie or her family's knowledge or consent, no one has justified why our Mother was placed on the LCP which subsequently ended her life in 2 days, and neither Harry nor I ever spoke to our dear Mother again.
What we need to do
Currently, there is no legal requirement to get consent from a patient or family member before a patient is placed on the LCP. The NHS website states that “while legal consent is not required to place a patient on the LCP, the fact that the plan is being considered should always be discussed with a relative or carer and, if possible, the patient themselves”. This needs to change.
Please sign the petition to ensure that a law is enforced to protect us and our loved ones. A document is needed to sign to show that we agree and understand why we, or our family members, are being put on the terminal pathway and that we have given consent.
We shouldn't have to fight for justice after death; the law should be there to protect us when we are alive. This affects all of us at some point. We all have the right to say goodbye to our loved ones. Please make this happen for all our sakes.
