Communication diary to aid care at the end of life

Source: Nursing Times, 2012, 108, (17), p.24-27

Date of publication: April 2012

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: This articles describes an action-research study which aimed to develop and test the “Relatives’/carers’ diary” tool from the Liverpool Care pathway.  The tool is aimed at reducing communication barriers between patient’s families or carers and healthcare staff in order to enable relatives to be able to participate usefully in end of life care and for healthcare staff to respond quickly to concerns or issues about all elements of care including pain management, quality of care.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Length of publication: 4 pages

Nurses’ views on using the Liverpool Care Pathway in an acute hospital setting

Source: International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 2011, 17(5) p.239-44

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Date of publication: May 2011

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: This article describes a piece of qualitative research exploring nurses’ perceptions and experiences of using the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for patients dying in an acute setting. The research examined the experiences of general nurses, and compared them with those of LCP link nurses who have a special interest in palliative and end-of-life care, through the use of focus groups.

Length of publication: 6 pages

Some important notes: An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online. Follow this link to register for Athens.

Acknowledgement: BNI

Spreading best practice in dementia and end of life care

Source:  Advancing Quality Alliance

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Date of publication:  April 2011

Publication type:  Case Study

In a nutshell:   Led by Greater Manchester and Cheshire Palliative Care Network, this project aims to build on existing end of life care tools such as the Gold Standard Framework and the Liverpool Care Pathway.  The objective is to provide sets of tools that equip GP and out-of-hours providers to make better decisions about end of life care for dementia suffers which will result in the provision of more appropriate care and significant cost savings. 

Length of publication: 2 pages

Achieving a good death for all.

Source: British Medical Journal, September 2010,  341(7774) p.656-8

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Date of publication: September 2010

Publication type: Article

In a nutshell: Palliative Care Beyond Cancer. This article discusses best practice to improve quality of care for the last days of life. The Liverpool Care Pathway is discussed along with the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute report ‘National Care of the Dying Audit of Hospitals in England’ (2009). Patients’ wishes regarding place of death and financial implications from the National Audit Office are considered.

Length of publication: 2 pages

This article is available in full text to all NHS Staff using Athens, for more information about accessing full text follow this link to find your local NHS Library

What progress has been made towards implementing national guidance on end of life care? A national survey of UK general practices.

Source: Palliative Medicine, January 2010, 24 (1) ap68-78

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Follow this link to view this article in fulltext using your NHS Athens login.

Date of publication: January 2010

Publication type: article

In a nutshell: The article describes a study which evaluated the incidences of GP Practices in the UK engaging in recommended practices relating to supportive and palliative care of adults with cancer in relation to participation in national initiatives.  Responses were obtained from 60% of the randomly selected Practices and responses indicated which of the initiatives they had been involved with. The findings appear to support the role of national initiatives in improving the quality of end-of-life care delivery in general practice.

Length of publication: 11 pages

Some important notes:  If you do not have an NHS Athens login please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Acknowledgement: Medline

Call for mandatory training in care of the dying patient

Source: nursingtimes.net

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Date: 24th November 2009

Publication Type: News  story

In a  nutshell: At this years Marie Curie Annual Conference 25th November 2009, National Lead for the Liverpool Care Pathway Deborah Murphy called upon NHS organisations to provide some form of End of Life care training for staff. The latest version of the Liverpool Care Pathway will also be unveiled which includes:

• A new section on relative/carer information to support multidisciplinary conversations about the diagnosis of dying and the support of the LCP
• A more defined, specific multidisciplinary detailed assessment for each individual on commencement of the LCP and every three days thereafter
• Continuous ongoing assessments undertaken at least every four hours
• More explicit and detailed goals on nutrition, hydration and spirituality
• More succinct information on care after death

An end-of-life care initiative for people with dementia

Source: European Journal of Palliative Care 2009, vol. 16(5) p240-3

Date: Sept/ Oct 2009

Publication Type: Article

In a nutshell: This article examines research carried out in NHS North West Greater Manchester PCT  evaluating the use of the Gold Standards Framework and the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient, as models of care to improve the quality of end-of-life care for older patients with dementia in long-term care settings. The effects on patients, their families, carers and staff were assessed.

Length of Publication: 3 pages

Acknowledgements: British Nursing Index

Notes: Contact your local health library to obtain a copy of this article. There are no links available to the abstract of this article.

Liverpool Care Pathway Palliative Care Conference

Source:  Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, Liverpool

Follow this link to view the conference details

Publication type:  Conference

In a nutshell: The sixth annual conference of the Liverpool Care Pathway entitled ‘Care of the Dying: Time to Make a Difference’ will be held on November 25th 2009 at the Royal Society of Medicine, London.