Named GP for people dying in the community

A named GP should take overall responsibility for a patient who is dying in the community, the team behind the Liverpool Care Pathway review has recommended. They say that it is “particularly good practice” to give dying patients a telephone number on which they can reach their GP if there is an out-of-hours emergency.

The review authors also said that the patient’s GP should be involved in discussing their care plan if they have no family or carers.

Full Article on OnMedica

£1.8 million for fairer funding for end of life care

More people should be able to spend their final days in a place of their choice and new Government funding will help to make this happen, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

The current system of end of life care does not work well enough. Some patients and their families receive excellent care and excellent support while others miss out.  NHS funding for palliative care services is often poorly distributed and varies greatly around the country.

A new fairer funding system is needed but essential information needed to develop a system doesn’t exist. Eight pilots sites – with a share of £1.8 million will collect this vital information and help the Government meet its aim of having a new per-patient funding system for both adult and children’s palliative care services.

Seven new adult pilot sites will each receive an extra £200,000 and a children and young persons pilot will receive £400,000.

Full Press Release on Department of Health