Monthly Archives: October 2012
Doctors to launch investigation into Liverpool Care Pathway
Doctors are to investigate whether the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, which is supposed to alleviate suffering, is actually being used to deliberately hasten death.
11:27AM BST 24 Oct 2012
Palliative care doctors are preparing to open an investigation in concerns that the Liverpool Care Pathway is being used to deliberately hasten the death of elderly and terminally-ill patients.
The Association for Palliative Medicine, representing over 1,000 doctors working in hospices and specialist palliative care units throughout the country, is going to carry out research to see if the LCP is operating as a “euthanasia pathway”.
MPs warned of £10bn social care cuts
MPs warned of £10bn social care cuts
24 October, 2012 | By Kaye Wiggins
Councils will cut £10bn from their social care budgets over this spending review period, MPs have been told.
The figure was revealed at a health select committee hearing on Tuesday by John Jackson, chair of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services’ resources network.
Mr Jackson told MPs that his figure raised serious concerns about the future of social care funding.
“Adult social care is the largest part of council budgets and they will have to look for savings from it”, he said, warning that the further council tax freeze announced this month would put more pressure on care budgets.
Closure plan for Sheffield dementia centres
24 October 2012 Last updated at 09:48
Two of Sheffield’s three dementia support centres may be closed.
Councillors will be asked to consider closing the Norbury Centre in Fir Vale and Bole Hill View in Crookes.
Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust, which runs the centres, and the city council, which funds them, said the plan would save £835,000.
The money will be used to improve the remaining centre, Hurlfield View at Arbour, and provide more services to people at home.
The proposal follows a consultation period, during which people with dementia and their carers were asked to give feedback on the services they received and how they could be improved.
