But it’s okay: it’s universal health care
Although this might be stretching the definition. Just a little:
Top doctor’s chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year
The bullet points:
- Professor says doctors use ‘death pathway’ to euthenasia [sic] of the elderly
- Treatment on average brings a patient to death in 33 hours
- Around 29 per cent of patients that die in hospital are on controversial ‘care pathway’
Now here’s the story:
NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed yesterday.
Huh. I wonder how they decide which “elderly hospital patients” get that “treatment?” There isn’t a panel involved, is there?
Professor Patrick Pullicino said doctors had turned the use of a controversial ‘death pathway’ into the equivalent of euthanasia of the elderly.
He claimed there was often a lack of clear evidence for initiating the Liverpool Care Pathway…
It’s got a name.
… a method of looking after terminally ill patients that is used in hospitals across the country.
It is designed to come into force when doctors believe it is impossible for a patient to recover and death is imminent.
But, as this whistleblower told the media, that simply isn’t always the case.
There are around 450,000 deaths in Britain each year of people who are in hospital or under NHS care. Around 29 per cent – 130,000 – are of patients who were on the LCP.
Almost one out of three deaths occur because the hospital means it to.
And notice this: the whistleblower who’s making these accusations isn’t upset that it’s happening. He’s upset that it’s happening too much:
Professor Pullicino claimed that far too often elderly patients who could live longer are placed on the LCP and it had now become an ‘assisted death pathway rather than a care pathway’.
“Far too often,” he says.
Funny how “caring for the masses” and morality seem to be so negatively correlated.
Hat tip Althouse.
UPDATE – Gleefully swiped from Paco:
Trackbacks
- Lance Burri: But it’s okay: it’s universal health care « The Daley Gator
- But it's okay: it's universal health care « The TrogloPundit |
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We have the equivalent in the Hospice program. While I had a good experience with Hospice when my mother died 30 years ago, I remained her primary caregiver with visits from Hospice nurses each day.
Hospice operates a bit differently today.
My last experience was just a few years ago when some friends and I undertook the care of a friend whose family was not helping. The Hospice team moved in and took over everything. My friends and I were there everyday and did extra stuff for her, but only the Hospice nurse was there at night.
One day i was there for several hours and my friend was doing fairly well. She was on liquid morphine, etc. I left about 9pm and in the morning was told she died at 3am. I went to nursing school and am fairly well versed in medical matters. Could she have died by natural causes? Yes, but I immediately suspected the nurse gave her a “hot shot.” To this day I believe they killed her.
This is not to condemn Hospice in toto – just a thought…
Thanks for the link, Lance!
Adrienne: Scary thought. Quite possible, though; there was an incident in Mrs. Paco’s family that sounds somewhat similar.
Adrienne – that sounds awful!
Interesting post as well. As I get older I am starting to think about my health more and more. I want to make sure I am getting the best available for me. I might be more wary now though.