Marie Curie calls for early national audit of the Liverpool Care Pathway and an action plan for improvement of end of life care in hospitals

Marie Curie Cancer Care has welcomed the Government’s announcement this weekend that it is to propose new changes to the NHS Constitution, which would set out a new legal right for patients to be consulted on end-of-life care decisions.

However, the charity wants the Government to go further and is calling for the next independent national audit of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient to be brought forward.

The report on the National Audit is due to be published in December 2013 but following issues raised about care of the dying in hospitals, the charity is calling for more urgent action to identify where failures in the implementation of the LCP are taking place.

Imelda Redmond CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie said:

"The Liverpool Care Pathway has enabled thousands of people to experience dignified care in the last hours and days of life. It was developed to spread the hospice model of end of life care into hospitals and other healthcare settings.

"We have become increasingly concerned about the damaging media coverage which reports negative experiences of people in hospital and the end of life. That is why we are calling for the next independent national audit to be brought forward so that we can identify as soon at possible where these failings are taking place.

"Once this is done, an action plan must be put in place for improvements where care is below the highest standards that the public expects."

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