The “Priorities of Care of the Dying Person”
The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) used to be the preferred approach to managing terminally ill patients in the last stages of their life. It provided a standardised way of controlling symptoms, but fell into disrepute as it didn’t suit all circumstances. Its replacement, the Priorities for Care of the Dying Person, has a more patient-focused and individualised approach:
- Identify a patient who may die imminently
- Communicate sensitively with the patient, their relatives and friends
- Involve patients and closely associated people in decisions
- The needs of family and people important to the patient are respected and met as far as possible
- An individual care plan which includes food and drink, symptom control, and psychological, social and spiritual support is agreed and delivered with compassion
The Priorities are supported and endorsed by professional bodies such as the GMC and the NMC, as well as NICE and the CQC. Comprehensive guidance is provided in the document One Chance to get it Right:
http://tinyurl.com/ovvj52q
Photo by Sam Caplat (https://www.flickr.com/photos/samcaplat/4521089467) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
