CBS/AP Story: Docs Concerned Terminally Ill May Prematurely Die Under UK Care Guideline

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By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
September 3, 2009 - 13:58 ET
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"U.K. Docs Worry Patients Dying Prematurely," reads a headline featured this afternoon in CBSNews.com's Top News menu. The link brings readers to a CBS/AP story with the same headline.

But when one reads through the article, it becomes clear the matter at hand may have some bearing over a controversial issue in America's current health care reform debate (emphasis mine):

A group of British doctors who treat the terminally ill said they were worried that some are dying prematurely because of guidelines on dealing with patients in their final hours.

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph newspaper Thursday, six palliative care specialists said the "tick-box approach to the management of death" could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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The guidelines, which are not mandatory, were designed by a hospice in Liverpool and recommended as a model in 2004 by the body that sets national health care standards.

They lay out signs that a patient is close to death - including loss of consciousness and difficulty swallowing - and say that once an assessment has been made doctors may remove medication or intravenous drips that are no longer effective.

The letter-writers said the problem with the guidance was that "forecasting death is an inexact science" and that some patients might be denied food or fluids, or put under sedation with the result that signs of improvement might be missed.

"It is supposed to let people die with dignity, but it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Dr. Peter Hargreaves, one of the signatories. "Patients who are allowed to become dehydrated and then become confused can be wrongly put on this pathway." 

Later in the article, the AP informed readers of the massive budget shortfall the British National Health Service (NHS)faces and how some experts are urging the British government to trim services and lay off workers in order to close the deficit:

Also Thursday, a report by management consultants McKinsey&Co. advised the health service to cut a tenth of its 1.5 million-strong work force over the next five years to make up a budget shortfall. It also suggested the NHS sell off hospitals and cut back on some services.

The government said it had rejected the proposals, which were among many submitted by consulting firms after the government asked for suggestions on how to make up a 20 billion pound ($33 billion) shortfall expected by 2014.

"The government does not believe the right answer to improving the NHS now or in the future is to cut the NHS work force," Health Minister Mike O'Brien said.

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


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Robert Reich on letting seniors die..

September 3, 2009 - 14:28 ET by Gary Hall

Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich is someone who has the administration's and the liberal congress's ear, on the issue of health reform. He is a staunch ally in the fight for a single payor national health care system, and apparently, on the need to let seniors just die. 

Here he is lecturing students about the need for single payor, at UC Berkeley 9/26/07 (my bold and my comments in ( comments) ):

Now on a few domestic issues.

On health care. Look, we are the only health care system in the world that is designed to avoid sick people. And that's true, and what I'm going to do is I am going to try to reorganize it to be more amenable to treating sick people, but that means you .. particularly you young people, particularly you young healthy people - you're going to have to pay more. (delayed - scattered applause from the 'young people.' Figure that one out?)

Thank you.

And by the way, we're going to have to, if you are very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life, to keep you, maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die. (applause - some hoots and hollers - go figure)

Uh, also, I'm going to use the bargaining leverage of the federal government in terms of Medicare, Medicaid.. we already have a lot of bargaining leverage, ah, to force drug companies and insurance companies and medical suppliers to reduce their costs but that means less innovation and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market which means that you are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents. (light applause - and the same hooter).

Thank you.

 

Any questions?

(;~/ gary