A large proportion of healthcare resources go into providing care for people in their last few months of life, but it is not always apparent that the interventions they receive are what they really want or need at this time.
The National End of Life Care Programme and Dying Matters have just published a pack to help GPs to identify those patients who may be in their last year of life and talk to them about their preferences.
http://www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/publications/one-percent-gp-pack
Does anyone else know of other resources or approaches which they have found helpful in this area?
End of life is certainly a time when cutting back on unnecessary treatments & interventions may be beneficial for patient & planet, but I think these are discussions that need to be had very carefully.
I am sure the press onslaught on the Liverpool Care Pathway hasn't escaped anyone's notice, but some of the press (and the Daily Mail in particular) have also picked out the End of Life Strategy/Dying Matters 1% campaign as a target for more negative attention.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2219351/Three-THOUSAND-doctor…
Discussing the LCP & end-of-life at the moment is fraught enough, and, much as I hate to say it, I think even if appropriate end of life care is good for sustainable medicine, I am not sure that is a good way to sell it to patients & their relatives.
It is a real shame that the Liverpool Care Pathway has received bad press. I think it in a way gives medical professional a structure to put into practice the rationalisation of treatments which they know is appropriate and helps a smooth transition to the terminal phase of an illness. I really hope that death loses it's taboo and we get to a stage where GP's are confident in 'managing death' and not seeing it as a failure of medicine in some way. Perhaps this recent flurry in the press will raise the profile of end of life care and spark some debate.
Has anyone done any audits or research into this in their practice? Has anyone devised a specific practice protocol or pathway?
I am hoping to do an audit soon in my practice though have not done any planning as yet.
If anyone has any ideas they would be welcome.
Antonia
I have just uploaded some documents which may be useful for you in your audit (see resources). Please can you let the network know how the audit goes and if you feel it would be easily and usefully replicated in other surgeries then please share it with us all.
Regards
Sally
That's fantastic thanks. I hope to start at least thinking about in the next few weeks. I will let you know how it goes.
Blessings
Antonia
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