NICE has launched the first guidelines for the NHS on improving care for people who are in their last days of life.
The guidelines aim to put the dying person at the heart of decisions about their care, so that they can be supported in their final days in accordance with their wishes.
Around 500,000 people die each year in the UK. Of these deaths 75% are not sudden, but expected.
While a recent report has ranked end of life care in the UK as the best in the world, there are areas where care can be improved and made more consistent.
Until recently, the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) was used to provide good end of life care. It was withdrawn however, following widespread criticism and a subsequent government review that found failings in several areas. Among the criticisms were:
- There were no ways of reliably determining whether a person was in the last days of life
- Drinking water and essential medicines may have been withheld or withdrawn
- Examples of changes to treatment were carried out without forewarning
As a result, NICE was asked to develop evidence-based guidelines on care of the dying adult. The new guideline aims to tackle these and other issues by providing recommendations for the care of a person who is nearing death no matter where they are.
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