So it's currently half term, I'm enjoying my well deserved (I think so anyway) break from a-levels and I'm relaxing in the living room with my family. At this point I've just completely forgotten about UCAS and the application process. 'Focus on your a levels, and getting the grades' is my mindset right now. If I'm honest I think the stress that medical/dentistry/vet medicine applicants go through is inhumane. How are we meant to focus on getting top grades, getting a perfect reference, getting a perfect medical personal statement, volunteer constantly, get relevant work experience, get a good score in the UKCAT/BMAT, and finally make sure we're a good rounded applicant? The list is endless. In the end it's just a series of hoops they expect us to jump through with flying colours. I feel like these hoops do build super students, but at some point I did find myself turning into a robot, and I'm sure others did too.
ANYWAY back to the point of this post. So, I'm happily relaxing when I feel my phone vibrate. I see the e-mail notification, and behold there is an offer from Kings College London for Biomedical sciences. Relief, happiness, surprise, all attack me. I know it's not an offer for my dream course - medicine, but what it is, is an offer for my DREAM uni! I'm so thankful for this offer as it's given me belief that I CAN do it and that I have a chance at medicine. After all, one of the top world unis have accepted my offer for a science course right?
I'm so happy I have a back up plan sorted out and there is hope out there for me. It's just reminded me that I NEED to have more self confidence in myself. I need to believe in myself when others may be cynical. After all, I am a dreamer.
Apologies for the cheesiness of this post, but after all the doubts and terrible news I've heard this year I'm so happy that I'm finally getting to reap some of the rewards from all my hard work.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Thursday 26 September 2013
'Dramatic Drop In global HIV infections'
Awesome news. I've chosen to post about HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in this post particularly because it's a topic that's quite personal to me. I grew up in Kenya during the 1990's during which the AIDS/HIV epidemics was very serious and to hear that there's been a dramatic drop globally in HIV/AIDS statistics is great news.
HIV/AIDS attacks the immune system and is carried by bodily fluids and is transmitted by sexual contact or blood contact. Where HIV is the virus, AIDS is the condition and appears during the late stages of HIV. As a child I knew someone who had HIV. The disease acted aggressively towards this person and left them weak and vulnerable to infection.
What I want to investigate further is why did this epidemic occur? How could Kenya have avoided it? Why wasn't there enough recognition of the disease at the time? I've always believed that prevention is more effective than treatment, so if we can find the source and cater to it then there will be no need to go any further.
“It all started as a rumour… Then we found we were dealing with a disease. Then
we realised that it was an epidemic. And, now we have accepted it as a tragedy.” - Chief epidemiologist in Kampala, Uganda.1
Putting this into context, over the epidemic it is estimated that 1 million Kenyans have been victimised by this disease and have lost their lives, Kenya's HIV prevalence had peaked during the late 1990's. Although the evidence was clear cut, sadly the Kenyan leaders refused to believe it was a problem that they needed to address. The Kenyan President 1978-2002 had said: ''The threat of AIDS has reached alarming proportions and must not be treated casually; in today’s world, condoms are a must'' however many believed that the government simply did not do enough to educate the Kenyan's on the topic.
Prevention from accessing condoms aswell as the lack of knowledge and the social stigma that surrounded HIV did not help the case at all. Many simply did not know what to do or where to look for in terms of going for testing. Many were simply embarrassed to do so in fears of what their family members or friends would say. Because of this many just suffered in silence.
Thankfully, the numbers of people suffering from HIV as decreased radically and sensitive issues are being addressed. Education and awareness really is the key to eradicating HIV/AIDS and preventing its contraction. We also need to be more sensitive to individuals and their circumstances and make treatments more accessible to the public.
I have merely just touched on the topic in this post and I'd love to discuss it with anyone who's interested.
Comment/message - you know what to do - and as always thanks for reading!
Extra reading:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24208972#?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://www.avert.org/history-hiv-aids-africa.htm
http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm
http://giswin.geo.tsukuba.ac.jp/sis/thesis/PhD_Ngigi.pdf
HIV/AIDS attacks the immune system and is carried by bodily fluids and is transmitted by sexual contact or blood contact. Where HIV is the virus, AIDS is the condition and appears during the late stages of HIV. As a child I knew someone who had HIV. The disease acted aggressively towards this person and left them weak and vulnerable to infection.
What I want to investigate further is why did this epidemic occur? How could Kenya have avoided it? Why wasn't there enough recognition of the disease at the time? I've always believed that prevention is more effective than treatment, so if we can find the source and cater to it then there will be no need to go any further.
“It all started as a rumour… Then we found we were dealing with a disease. Then
we realised that it was an epidemic. And, now we have accepted it as a tragedy.” - Chief epidemiologist in Kampala, Uganda.1
Putting this into context, over the epidemic it is estimated that 1 million Kenyans have been victimised by this disease and have lost their lives, Kenya's HIV prevalence had peaked during the late 1990's. Although the evidence was clear cut, sadly the Kenyan leaders refused to believe it was a problem that they needed to address. The Kenyan President 1978-2002 had said: ''The threat of AIDS has reached alarming proportions and must not be treated casually; in today’s world, condoms are a must'' however many believed that the government simply did not do enough to educate the Kenyan's on the topic.
Prevention from accessing condoms aswell as the lack of knowledge and the social stigma that surrounded HIV did not help the case at all. Many simply did not know what to do or where to look for in terms of going for testing. Many were simply embarrassed to do so in fears of what their family members or friends would say. Because of this many just suffered in silence.
Thankfully, the numbers of people suffering from HIV as decreased radically and sensitive issues are being addressed. Education and awareness really is the key to eradicating HIV/AIDS and preventing its contraction. We also need to be more sensitive to individuals and their circumstances and make treatments more accessible to the public.
I have merely just touched on the topic in this post and I'd love to discuss it with anyone who's interested.
Comment/message - you know what to do - and as always thanks for reading!
Extra reading:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24208972#?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://www.avert.org/history-hiv-aids-africa.htm
http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm
http://giswin.geo.tsukuba.ac.jp/sis/thesis/PhD_Ngigi.pdf
Thursday 22 August 2013
NURSES.
The quality of care offered by the NHS has been placed under a magnifying glass over the past few months. Constantly being in the news it led me to question, why? One of the most let's say 'obvious' answers is of course under staffing. This was most definitely found to be the case with the Mid-staff's scandal where the Francis report had stated that "A chronic shortage of staff, particularly nursing staff, was largely responsible for the substandard care,". A lack of nursing staff = more demands on existing nurses = more stress and pressure = more adverse affects on individual attitudes = bad quality of care. This is what was found from the stories stemming from the Liverpool Care Pathway - where patients were often denied food and water due to a number of staff not being correctly educated on the LCP.
It has been predicted that there will be a serious shortage of nurses and midwives by 2016 and this will lead to obvious problems with care offered by the NHS, something the NHS will undoubtedly have to face. One of the biggest reasons for the shortage is thought to be the loss of our UK nurses to other countries. For instance, the US offers a starting salary of around £40,000 compared to the (around) £21,000 offered by the UK, not forgetting the year of experience they are required to also have. This has led the NHS to bring nurses and midwives from abroad, leaving them with almost the same problem.
For me, I have seen first hand the role of a nurse from my voluntary work and my view has developed as I've learned more about their duties. The role of a nurse is so broad and diverse as they need to be able to administer medication, offer emotional support and guidance, educate the family and the patient on the illness as well as making sure all the needs of the patient are met. Nurses truly are the definition of 'front line staff'. Where doctors have the responsibility of seeing through the patient from the diagnosis to the treatment and making decisions on the treatment provided it is the nurses that gets to care for the patients on a more individual level.
It's disheartening to see what has happened to the profession over the years and the issue is of high importance to be addressed. Hopefully, when this happens we'll start to see an improvement on the quality of care offered. :)
READ this if you'd like to know more. Let me know what you think.
http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2013/aug/20/need-graduate-nurses-nhs
Sunday 18 August 2013
How real is real?
24 hours in A&E, ER, One born every minute, Keeping Britain Alive, House MD, Greys Anatomy, Junior Doctors and the list goes ON.
Reality TV or drama, are they altering our view on the healthcare system (in the UK and/or America).
I was asked my view by a family friend on the lifestyles of doctors the other day. I replied by explaining the pros (rewarding, mentally stimulating, FUN) and cons (stressful, LONG hours) and how I thought that it was mainly a give and take relationship. The more you put in, the more you get out.
They replied by asking me: 'Did you watch Junior Doctors?'
Ahh the beauty of reality TV. I had watched the show and did enjoy it. It showed lives of junior doctors and all the ups and downs they had encountered during their placements. We both discussed the show in terms of how real it was and how much of it was just used for entertainment and spoke about how sometimes we'd almost have to remind ourselves to separate the 'real' from the real life. From this conversation it really became plain to both of us how much these type of shows could influence people's perceptions of the NHS.
We then moved on to the topic of shows such as Grey's Anatomy and House (my personal favourites). The medicine is a lot more realistic than shows such as Holby city, however the diagnostic procedures we come across in House, and the constant attraction Seattle grace hospital has to crazy catastrophes was definitely not so realistic.
The glamorous portrayals of their lifestyles definitely seems attractive however unlike the 'reality TV shows' we most definitely didn't feel the need to remind ourselves that this was just entertainment.
So, what do you think?
How real is real?
Thursday 8 August 2013
A&E Bailout?
A&E. The headline for the majority of the health news that has been circulating the BBC for quite some time now. Accident and Emergency departments are open 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and specialise in just that - accidents and emergencies. However, as we've all been hearing for months now, this is simply just not the case and this is leading to A&E departments being almost on the bring of collapse.
Why are they struggling so much you ask? Well it all comes down to three main reasons:
1: Lack of out of hours services
Back in 2004, Tony Blair's Government made a deal with GPs to reduce their working hours and allow them to no longer be on call for weekends and evenings all in exchange for £6000 of their salary. This has been described as the root to the cause of A&E disintegrating by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. He believes that the current GP contract is 'fundamentally flawed' as responsibility of out of hours services has been removed from the hands of GPs. Many GPs are outraged and annoyed at the constant blame they receive as many of them currently feel 'overworked' and feel that a lot of unnecessary pressure is being placed on them. They also agree that their is a flaw in NHS 111. This is a helpline you can call when your family doctor is not available and so advice is given to you on what you should do next. GPs believe that the system is flawed, as the resulting next step is often advice to visit A&E.
2: The Ageing population
People are living longer. A great statement yes? Well, it does come with its own problems. People are living longer but they as they grow older they are more vulnerable to disease, and more severe diseases at that. It is presently thought the the elderly with complex conditions are now the greatest challenge. Many of them are said to arrive by ambulance and often have to have an extended stay. Which poses another problem - space and beds. David Cameron is proposing that what we should do is concentrate on building the relationship between A&E departments, GP practices and social care departments so that the elderly may receive more help from their local communities.
3. Staff Shortages
With the increase in demands by patients it is clear that staff shortages are a definite problem in need of desperate attention. This is all results in critical cases being handed over to junior doctors who may not be competent enough to deal with the patients thus endangering their safety. This battle between increase in demand, and decrease in supply seems as a fundamental issue at the root of the cause.
The solution to fixing the problem that is A&E waiting services is proving hard to find. However, a 'bailout' as been announced for specific struggling A&E units. This is just a short term solution to a long time problem of course, and many are aware of this.
What are your views on this? Comment/e-mail me, I'd love to know.
Food for thought:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23612539#?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10192661/Crisis-in-AandE-as-hospitals-grapple-with-staff-shortages.html
http://fullfact.org/articles/factsheet_crisis_accident_emergency_care-29078
Why are they struggling so much you ask? Well it all comes down to three main reasons:
1: Lack of out of hours services
Back in 2004, Tony Blair's Government made a deal with GPs to reduce their working hours and allow them to no longer be on call for weekends and evenings all in exchange for £6000 of their salary. This has been described as the root to the cause of A&E disintegrating by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. He believes that the current GP contract is 'fundamentally flawed' as responsibility of out of hours services has been removed from the hands of GPs. Many GPs are outraged and annoyed at the constant blame they receive as many of them currently feel 'overworked' and feel that a lot of unnecessary pressure is being placed on them. They also agree that their is a flaw in NHS 111. This is a helpline you can call when your family doctor is not available and so advice is given to you on what you should do next. GPs believe that the system is flawed, as the resulting next step is often advice to visit A&E.
2: The Ageing population
People are living longer. A great statement yes? Well, it does come with its own problems. People are living longer but they as they grow older they are more vulnerable to disease, and more severe diseases at that. It is presently thought the the elderly with complex conditions are now the greatest challenge. Many of them are said to arrive by ambulance and often have to have an extended stay. Which poses another problem - space and beds. David Cameron is proposing that what we should do is concentrate on building the relationship between A&E departments, GP practices and social care departments so that the elderly may receive more help from their local communities.
3. Staff Shortages
With the increase in demands by patients it is clear that staff shortages are a definite problem in need of desperate attention. This is all results in critical cases being handed over to junior doctors who may not be competent enough to deal with the patients thus endangering their safety. This battle between increase in demand, and decrease in supply seems as a fundamental issue at the root of the cause.
The solution to fixing the problem that is A&E waiting services is proving hard to find. However, a 'bailout' as been announced for specific struggling A&E units. This is just a short term solution to a long time problem of course, and many are aware of this.
What are your views on this? Comment/e-mail me, I'd love to know.
Food for thought:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23612539#?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10192661/Crisis-in-AandE-as-hospitals-grapple-with-staff-shortages.html
http://fullfact.org/articles/factsheet_crisis_accident_emergency_care-29078
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Homoeopathy - out with the old and in with the 'what now'?
It believed that 2013 will be the year to see the end of homoeopathy services provided by the NHS. £4 million go into the spending of this industry and many are concerned that this money is simply being wasted on 'placebos' that have not been 'scientifically proven to work'.
Homoeopathy is another name for complementary and alternative medicines. It is an option available to the patient if they choose, to go alongside or instead of the conventional western medicines available to them. The treatments provided under this branch of medicine follow the general principle that if a treatment or substance can cause a symptom then it can also remove that symptom - when it is present in a diluted form. Some common treatments include the likes of acupuncture and herbal remedies.
Funnily enough, this is not the first time I've come across alternative medicine. For my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) I investigated the science behind fasting and the truth behind the rumours that it lowered high blood pressure. I came to like the idea of using fasting as opposed to conventional medications as it provided a route free of side effects as well as (when done right) providing effective results. However, this alternative method does not follow the general principles mentioned above and so I'm not entirely convinced it comes under the heading of 'homoeopathy'.
Reviews on homoeopathy are mixed. For instance, earlier this year a report from the Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that the service was no more than a placebo and recommended to the government that all funding from the NHS should stop.
Obviously, this is an extremely controversial topic so I'm not going to dwell on the opinions on others as realistically the phasing out of such services really comes down to the decisions of GPS.
Currently, homoeopathy is only available in certain areas of the NHS. 3 NHS Hospitals that are known to specialise in these services include the Royal London, Glasgow and Bristol hospitals. However, it is believed that the future of Bristol Homoeopathy looks negative as it's popularity has declined over the year.
GPs are also able to practice homoeopathy and are able to also refer patients to homoeopaths. However, it is believed that the majority of GPs are against the service. As GPs are now responsible for most of the health service budget, due to the new CCGs put in place (Clinical Commissioning Groups), it is now largely in their hands to decide if the treatment should be 'funded' or 'rationed'.
What do you think? Are with or against GPs? Let me know - comment below or e-mail me.
Homoeopathy 101:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tomchivers/100044581/homeopathy-dropped-by-the-nhs-and-about-time/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9962151/Doctors-want-homeopathy-on-the-NHS-to-end.html
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2012/12/2013-will-see-the-end-of-nhs-homeopathy-hospitals-in-england.html
Homoeopathy is another name for complementary and alternative medicines. It is an option available to the patient if they choose, to go alongside or instead of the conventional western medicines available to them. The treatments provided under this branch of medicine follow the general principle that if a treatment or substance can cause a symptom then it can also remove that symptom - when it is present in a diluted form. Some common treatments include the likes of acupuncture and herbal remedies.
Funnily enough, this is not the first time I've come across alternative medicine. For my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) I investigated the science behind fasting and the truth behind the rumours that it lowered high blood pressure. I came to like the idea of using fasting as opposed to conventional medications as it provided a route free of side effects as well as (when done right) providing effective results. However, this alternative method does not follow the general principles mentioned above and so I'm not entirely convinced it comes under the heading of 'homoeopathy'.
Reviews on homoeopathy are mixed. For instance, earlier this year a report from the Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that the service was no more than a placebo and recommended to the government that all funding from the NHS should stop.
Obviously, this is an extremely controversial topic so I'm not going to dwell on the opinions on others as realistically the phasing out of such services really comes down to the decisions of GPS.
Currently, homoeopathy is only available in certain areas of the NHS. 3 NHS Hospitals that are known to specialise in these services include the Royal London, Glasgow and Bristol hospitals. However, it is believed that the future of Bristol Homoeopathy looks negative as it's popularity has declined over the year.
GPs are also able to practice homoeopathy and are able to also refer patients to homoeopaths. However, it is believed that the majority of GPs are against the service. As GPs are now responsible for most of the health service budget, due to the new CCGs put in place (Clinical Commissioning Groups), it is now largely in their hands to decide if the treatment should be 'funded' or 'rationed'.
What do you think? Are with or against GPs? Let me know - comment below or e-mail me.
Homoeopathy 101:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tomchivers/100044581/homeopathy-dropped-by-the-nhs-and-about-time/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9962151/Doctors-want-homeopathy-on-the-NHS-to-end.html
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2012/12/2013-will-see-the-end-of-nhs-homeopathy-hospitals-in-england.html
Friday 2 August 2013
Let's talk.
I've been actively volunteering with different organisations since this time last year. It started of light and took me a while to adapt to the volunteering way of life as I found it was much different to anything I had really been exposed to before. Before I knew it I was involved in a couple of different organisations and I had become a regular volunteer - involving myself as much as I could when I was't completely under the stresses of those that come with A-levels. I really began to love volunteering and I would really urge any of you out there to try it, what have you got to lose right?
So, my first 'official' shift started at the hospice yesterday. After having completed 3 shifts under the supervision of a fellow volunteer I took hold of the reigns finally and went solo. I've got to admit I was a bit nervous at first but as soon as I started I instantly felt comfortable - which I think is partly due to the friendly staff and volunteers at the hospice.
I went about the routine as I had done previously and followed the time schedule as best as I could. Checking in with the patients and their visitors is most definitely my favourite part and gives me a chance to see how they're all doing (not just an excuse for talking).
Yesterday was different though. I had always had little chats here and there with the patients but most of them hadn't really been up for conversation per say, which was completely understandable considering the conditions they were in. I respected their privacy and understood if they didn't want to be disturbed, after all I was just there to help. However, this time was different. Whilst on my ward round I somehow managed to strike up a conversation with one of the patients. We talked for a good 25 minutes about her life, my life, our experiences, everything! I explained to her that I wanted to do medicine and she replied by saying that she was glad someone of my generation was being ambitious. I was humbled. She outlined that she personally thought a doctor should be 'empathetic without being emotionally involved' - something I'm sure I'll keep in mind throughout my (hopefully) future medical career. I completely understood where she was coming from as being emotionally involved in a case would surely be detrimental to the judgement of the doctor which may lead to the wrong decisions being made.
I listened to her stories about her travels, and it was clear that she had really enjoyed her life. She'd done it all, fearless of where she would end up. She was also persistent to continue with her brave attitude as she told me how she had come to terms with her condition but her family hadn't. The conversation definitely cleared up any of my ignorances before as I become more aware and more conscious that these were people who had all lived lives so unique and so different and that they should be treated with that in mind. They should not just be seen as symptoms of a disease to be controlled. No, they should be seen as individuals. People who unfortunately have become a victim to bad health and are now in need of our help, and it's our duty to aid them with anything they may need, whether it be spiritual, psychological, or physical.
This moving conversation is something I'm sure I will remember in the future and is something that truly certified not only my love for the patient interaction involved in medicine but it certified my love for volunteering. I'd always heard about these stories from other people who made it seem like the norm. I'm glad to learn it's not the norm because when these conversations do happen once a while and out-of-the-blue it makes them all the more special.
I really do wish her and her family all the best. Her fearless attitude will always be inspirational to me.
Thank you for reading.
Thursday 1 August 2013
The Liverpool Care Pathway, what's happening?
LCP.
I came to terms with this procedure not so along ago. I was on a shift at a local hospice where I volunteer at and during the handover with nurses I was told that a patient, let's call them 'X', was put on 'LCP'. Now, I'm going to admit that I had never heard of this 'LCP' before this time and I was instantly curious to find out what it actually entailed. So I asked. The reply was: 'LCP is for end of life care, when the patient is nearing the last few hours or days of their life'. The answer wasn't very detailed so I decided to look into it more myself.
Now, LCP was proposed by the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Marie Curie hospice during the late 1990's. Let's get this straight, LCP is not a treatment but is merely a sort of process in which specific care is brought to the patients when their time of death approaches. The proposed idea was to enable the patient to have all their needs, be it spiritual, psychological and physical met by the senior doctor in charge of their care.
Problems started to arise when it became difficult to tell when a patient was nearing the end of their life. How could doctors tell? It was simply a guessing game.
I liked the idea of the LCP. I liked the idea of it being used as a 'framework' for good practice. I liked the idea that health care professionals would talk through plans with the patient and their families carefully and ensure that their needs would be met. I liked the idea that good communication between the health care team and the patient & their family would be a vital and key part of the proposed idea. Most of all, I liked the idea that the LCP was reserved as a last resort, a resort to which should be looked at when the entire team had reached a consensus that the patient was nearing death.
However (yes there is always an 'however') what I didn't like at all was the fact that these principles and guidelines set by the LCP were not being met. From the stories plastered all over the news lately I've grown to question weather the LCP is the way forward. They've been disturbing stories from patients families who have said that nurses would often deny the patient a drink and so patients would often go days without having their thirst quenched. This is simply inhumane and unlawful.
It's a shame that the LCP and their guidelines haven't been met by everyone as I think if it was applied properly it would be a very successful way to care for end of life.
From the concerns that have been raised by numerous different patients the health minister, Norman Lamb, has announced that the LCP will be phased out over the next 6-12 months. Instead, a individual and tailored end of life approach set by a senior doctor will be introduced, carried out and reviewed through its implementation.
It's a real shame that the previous guidelines were not met.
Let me know what you think. Comment, e-mail go for it.
Some more info for you below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212706/100715_letter_to_trusts.pdf
http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/Documents/HEALTHCARE-PROFESSIONALS/Innovation/Liverpool-Care-Pathway_FAQ-23-August-2012.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23315865
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2364029/How-Liverpool-Care-Pathway-used-excuse-appalling-care.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23301360
I came to terms with this procedure not so along ago. I was on a shift at a local hospice where I volunteer at and during the handover with nurses I was told that a patient, let's call them 'X', was put on 'LCP'. Now, I'm going to admit that I had never heard of this 'LCP' before this time and I was instantly curious to find out what it actually entailed. So I asked. The reply was: 'LCP is for end of life care, when the patient is nearing the last few hours or days of their life'. The answer wasn't very detailed so I decided to look into it more myself.
Now, LCP was proposed by the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Marie Curie hospice during the late 1990's. Let's get this straight, LCP is not a treatment but is merely a sort of process in which specific care is brought to the patients when their time of death approaches. The proposed idea was to enable the patient to have all their needs, be it spiritual, psychological and physical met by the senior doctor in charge of their care.
Problems started to arise when it became difficult to tell when a patient was nearing the end of their life. How could doctors tell? It was simply a guessing game.
I liked the idea of the LCP. I liked the idea of it being used as a 'framework' for good practice. I liked the idea that health care professionals would talk through plans with the patient and their families carefully and ensure that their needs would be met. I liked the idea that good communication between the health care team and the patient & their family would be a vital and key part of the proposed idea. Most of all, I liked the idea that the LCP was reserved as a last resort, a resort to which should be looked at when the entire team had reached a consensus that the patient was nearing death.
However (yes there is always an 'however') what I didn't like at all was the fact that these principles and guidelines set by the LCP were not being met. From the stories plastered all over the news lately I've grown to question weather the LCP is the way forward. They've been disturbing stories from patients families who have said that nurses would often deny the patient a drink and so patients would often go days without having their thirst quenched. This is simply inhumane and unlawful.
It's a shame that the LCP and their guidelines haven't been met by everyone as I think if it was applied properly it would be a very successful way to care for end of life.
From the concerns that have been raised by numerous different patients the health minister, Norman Lamb, has announced that the LCP will be phased out over the next 6-12 months. Instead, a individual and tailored end of life approach set by a senior doctor will be introduced, carried out and reviewed through its implementation.
It's a real shame that the previous guidelines were not met.
Let me know what you think. Comment, e-mail go for it.
Some more info for you below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212706/100715_letter_to_trusts.pdf
http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/Documents/HEALTHCARE-PROFESSIONALS/Innovation/Liverpool-Care-Pathway_FAQ-23-August-2012.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23315865
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2364029/How-Liverpool-Care-Pathway-used-excuse-appalling-care.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23301360
Wednesday 31 July 2013
''Martin''
The big 'S'.
SUICIDE. Or specifically in this case, assisted suicide.
Such a controversial topic, there are many opinions and many factors to consider. Now, I am only referring to assisted suicide in the case where a health professional aids a terminally ill patient in speeding up their death. Here in England this is of course illegal.
The big question on everyone's mind nowadays is not the arguments for or against assisted suicide, but it's the arguments for or against the law on this being interfered with due to special cases. One of the biggest 'grey' areas surrounding this matter is the ability of these patients and their families to travel to places such as Switzerland (where assisted suicide is legal) without being prosecuted.
Let's talk about ''Martin''. Now ''Martin'' is a man who suffers from the locked-in syndrome. This is a syndrome that strips a person from their ability to move their limbs so movement sometimes is limited to simple eye movement and/or limited speech. Essentially you are 'locked' in your body, and in the case of England you are forced to stay that way until death creeps up upon you naturally. A heart-breaking condition.
Now ''Martin'' is a man who would have liked to have the power to chose when to end his life and would have gone to any means to do so, even if it meant travelling abroad to Switzerland, Dignitas (assisted suicide centre). As I said before the law states that assisted side is illegal, however the question is how does it affect family members who somewhat aid these patients in travelling to such places? To sort this out ''Martin'' did in fact 'manage to persuade two of three appeal court judges that the law on assisted suicide needs further clarification'. The Supreme Court is now being looked at for final clarity surrounding this topic.
One of the most powerful statements I have heard on this topic is 'This is not about denying people the right to take their own lives, but about making legal the act of taking someone else's'.
This is a new way of looking at it and it's made me thing of the criteria of a murderer. Now in the eyes of the law euthanasia provided by a doctor e.g. active euthanasia (for instance deliberately injecting a patient with lethal drugs) is seen as manslaughter.
So my question to you is, is assisted suicide then manslaughter?
Is relieving your mother/father/daughter etc from endless pain and suffering by helping them in ending their life manslaughter?
Let me know what you all think. Comment below or e-mail me. Thanks for reading!
Food for thought:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23520391
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/nov/18/assisted-suicide-dignitas-house
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22198464
Saving Lewisham
It's been announced! The high court has 'quashed' the decisions made by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to cut services such as the maternity and A&E departments at Lewisham hospital.
Many believe that this idea was proposed by Hunt in order to save costs with a neighbouring south London trust - which Lewisham aren't even part of. This is the main reason why so many are furious with this proposal, and who could blame them? A lot of people have also said that Lewisham is a well performing hospital and believe that it would be simply unlawful to carry out any further with Hunt's idea (as stated by the High court judge himself).
Under political pressures Hunt was found to be 'acting outside his powers' in the sense that he was essentially making Lewisham pay for the financial crisis it's neighbours were in.
What I find strange is the idea of closing the A&E as it would mean that patients would have to travel to other hospitals, and as we all know A&E departments have been struggling with meeting waiting deadlines and this would just make matters worse. It would jeopardise the health of patients, and after all isn't the patient the priority?
...But anyway, the good news is this idea has been dismissed!
From the help of local organisations such as 'Save Lewisham' awareness has been spread to the public which has led to many of them campaigning against Hunt's idea for the past year. Today marks a significant day for many residents of South London, and after their months of protesting they can be proud that their community-led campaigns have triumphed.
I'd love to here your take on this story. Comment, e-mail, whatever - go for it! :)
Here are some interesting articles on the topic:
Tuesday 30 July 2013
Let Me Introduce Myself.
So... My first post.
Hello.
I've had this blog set up for a while actually, but I never really used it much and so I decided to turn it into something useful (which it hopefully will be). I'm a sixth former and I'm applying for medicine for the 2014 entry (fingers crossed). I hope to blog about anything and everything that crosses my path on my way to med school.
I've always enjoyed writing and medicine is something I'd love to spend my life doing. I've found out so far that there's SO many opportunities and experiences to be learnt from so I figured, hey, why not write about it? There's so many stories to be told and this is where I will share them.
I hope you all enjoy reading my blog as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.
Hello.
I've had this blog set up for a while actually, but I never really used it much and so I decided to turn it into something useful (which it hopefully will be). I'm a sixth former and I'm applying for medicine for the 2014 entry (fingers crossed). I hope to blog about anything and everything that crosses my path on my way to med school.
I've always enjoyed writing and medicine is something I'd love to spend my life doing. I've found out so far that there's SO many opportunities and experiences to be learnt from so I figured, hey, why not write about it? There's so many stories to be told and this is where I will share them.
I hope you all enjoy reading my blog as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.
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