NHS England welcomes the report of the independent review headed by Baroness Julia Neuberger into end of life model of care – the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) published today.

Jane Cummings, Chief Nurse, NHS England and Chief Nursing Officer for England said:

“I would like to reassure everyone, particularly patients on the LCP and their families that NHS England and the NHS is passionate about ensuring that every patient receives the best possible care at the end of their life. I have been a nurse for over 30 years and know how important care at the end of life is for our loved ones. I say this both on a professional and a personal level.

“The review and NHS England recognise the good principles of end of life care in the LCP, but there have been failings in the quality of care in some areas and this is never acceptable. Caring for someone when they are dying is difficult and emotional even for experienced healthcare professionals. But the NHS exists to provide personal and compassionate care to patients and their loved ones when they most need it.  Most of the time we do get it right but we have to get it right for everybody. Issues such as poor communication with relatives have nothing to do with any particular care plan. That is just poor care and we don’t want it in the NHS.

“Patients are at the heart of everything we do to ensure the NHS can deliver the right care to every patient at the end of their life to make sure it is the best it can possibly be. We will do this by listening to patients and their families and responding fully to the recommendations of this report to ensure that the principles of good end of life care are firmly embedded across the NHS.

“We will be carefully considering the findings of this report and working with our partners to respond fully in the autumn, to give the time and consideration such an important review deserves to meet the needs of patients and their families.”

Further information is available on the GOV.UK website.