Liverpool Care Pathway dropped on Island

The use of the Liverpool Care Pathway on the Island has been suspended after a damning review by the UK Government.

The Department of Health and Hospice say whilst there is no evidence the end of life care tool has been misused here it will be phasing it out.

The pathway was designed to give dying people in all healthcare settings the same sort of care patients in a hospice receive.

However the review found it had become a ‘tick box’ exercise with staff not being properly trained leading to patients being drugged or deprived of fluids during the last weeks of their lives.

The Department of Health says it welcomes the review and recommendations and will continue to work closely with healthcare colleagues to teach the principles of palliative care for those who are dying.