Liverpool Care Pathway

 “What is the Liverpool Care Pathway?”

The Liverpool Care Pathway is a document that outlines the best practice for care in the last phase of life.  

When the multi-professional team has identified that a person’s death is likely to be imminent, use of the Liverpool Care Pathway helps those providing care focus on comfort measures. 

The Liverpool Care Pathway may be used for anyone who is dying, whatever their illness and wherever they choose to be cared for.   The pathway helps ensure doctors and nurses communicate well with each other, as well as their patients and the patient's family. 

The use of the Liverpool Care Pathway helps to ensure unnecessary or inappropriate care is discontinued.  When the pathway is started, the dying person’s medication will be reviewed and any that is no longer helpful may be stopped or substituted for another form, sometimes new medicines may be prescribed just in case to help if a new symptom should occur and to prevent unnecessary delays. 

When a person is cared for using the Liverpool Care Pathway, doctors and nurses continue to assess the person’s needs regularly and give individualised, holistic care.  

Using the framework of care described in the LCP ensures dying people receive the best care and ensures that family and friends are kept in the picture and supported at this difficult time.