A RIGHT TO LIFE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ASSISTED DYING INQUIRY NEEDED ON THIS END OF LIFE PATHWAY
The Issue
- Dear Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper
- I have started this petition for an Inquiry into the use of End of Life Care practices in Hospitals including Aintree Hospital Liverpool NHS Trust to have my father's medical records to be investigated when he was a patient for 8 months in 2012, after being admitted and diagnosed with constipation, he ended up critically ill and severely dehydrated then put on The Liverpool Care Pathway now known as End of Life Care, to be known as Assisted Dying if passed.
- End of Life Care is being "misused" on the wrong patients in our hospitals targeting vulnerable people including the elderly, and people who lack Mental Capacity.
- Formerly known as "The Liverpool Care Pathway" developed for terminally Ill patients in Hospices, End of Life Care has perpetuated many of its worst practices on hospital wards allowing patients to suffer days of dehydration under heavy sedation, leaving them unable to ask for food or drink leading to horrible undignified deaths.
- As Evidence is shown in A Report from The Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group titled "When End of Life Care Goes Wrong" with 16 Case Studies of Families stories who have experienced wrong doings in the NHS Care of their loved ones including my Family's Case which is Case Study 2 of the Report which was handed into Parliament a few years ago.
As evidence shows many patients are wrongly put onto End of Life Care instead of minor issues being treated, or to coverup negligent /poor care especially if patients are deemed to be "too old", all done clearly to save money due to the cost the elderly are putting onto the system ignoring their "Right to Life". This elderly generation have worked all their working lives paying more Taxes and National Insurance Contributions towards the NHS longer than any other generation
There has never been a better time for an Independent Inquiry into DNARs and End of Life Care practices and protocols including the administration of lethal medications including Morphine and Midazolam which the COVID Pandemic has highlighted.
The re introduction of The Liverpool Care Pathway along with blanket DNARs are being used on our hospital wards on patients who are getting told treatments are futile and they are dying when this is not always the case, with Life Saving Treatments being withdrawn and Opioids like Oxycodone Morphine and Midazolam getting administered and overused and patients are dying.....
As Assisted Dying is being debated in Parliament I am calling for a full public debate to include families like mine who have experienced these atrocious practices along with an Independent Inquiry into the protocols used to help prevent others from being wrongly put on End of Life Care which could potentially lead to Assisted Dying if it's made Law.
Which leads me onto my father the late David James, who was a fit and healthy 68 year old talented musician from Liverpool who played on one of Liverpool's clubs just 3 days before driving himself into our local hospital Aintree NHS Trust with stomach pains. After examination by a bowel consultant he was diagnosed with constipation the hospital admitted him until bowel function resumed.
What should have been a 2 night stay in hospital turned out to be 8 months on CCU.
We are the family who was at the centre of "The Right to Life" Case AintreevJames in 2012 in The Royal Courts of Justice as the hospital wanted to withdraw treatments 3 weeks after dad was admitted because in their words "he was dying". There was never a diagnosis into what made him critically ill all we know is dad got Hospital Acquired Pneumonia within days of him being admitted into Aintree Hospital then Sepsis resulting from it, which kept him in hospital where he ended up severely dehydrated, resulting in kidney failure, and critically ill after just 3 weeks!
The hospital wanted to withdraw all treatments 3 days after dad's admission into CCU without an explanation why or what happened to him.
We felt intimidated and bullied as the Hospital tried to get us to agree with them to stop treatments telling us they were "futile".
The family couldn't agree with the Doctors so they took us to a Court of Protection in Dad's Best Interests where doctors admitted he was on an End of Life Care Pathway
The family Won the Trial Case as Judgement was passed that treatments were not futile and Dad still had a "Quality of Life Worth Living".
The hospital unfortunately later appealed in The Appeals Court and got the decision overturned.
Dad got another hospital acquired infection....he sadly passed away on December 31st 2012.
One of our main questions and concerns is Why were doctors so intent on withdrawing all treatments after just 3 weeks of admitting dad, telling us he was dying when he wasn't (he actually lived a further 7 months) and putting him onto End of Life Care after getting a diagnosis of Hospital Aquired Pneumonia which turned into Sepsis.
In 2013 the case went into The Supreme Court as The Appeals Court had got the Law wrong in its reasoning. The Supreme Court ruled The Court of Protection had got the Law correct and that treatments were not "futile" so the "Precedence" Aintree Hospital had tried to set giving permission for all CCU in hospitals the right to withdraw life saving treatments if they thought were "futile" was stopped in The Supreme Court hearing.
We were praised as a family by Lady Hale saying "The Family have won the Argument of Principle " and Judgement was passed that we were correct to have challenged the doctors to carry on treatments as they were not "futile".
As a result part of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 was changed for people who lacked Capacity and written in the BMJ that "doctors must take into account families wishes in life and death decisions for their loved ones. " This judgement has been passed in the Highest Court in the land but many over 60s are still being admitted into our hospitals and ending up heavily sedated and severely dehydrated on hospital wards...no matter what they are admitted into hospital with.
I am requesting for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and The Health Secretary to consider Dad's medical records to form part of an Inquiry into End of Life Care Practices and how he ended up Critically Ill, severely Dehydrated with organ failure with doctors pressurising us to agree with them to withdraw treatments as they were saying were futile ..
With the ongoing debate of The Assisted Dying Bill we are asking for Legislation to be passed to Protect Families Rights and Wishes to be considered in doctors decisions in administering/withdrawing medical treatments...especially when a patient lacks Capacity...(as in the Ruling passed in The Supreme Court Case in 2013)
My family wish to include in the Inquiry an investigation into the "misuse" of Midazolam in these "death pathways" again often administered against families wishes with no consent from patients or family members who have full LPA....as my family have recently experienced with my Mother in the same hospital whom she initially took to The Supreme Court in 2013 concerning my Father....my Family are seeking the use of Midazolam to be erased and refrained from use in these "death pathways"
My Mother sadly passed away after a "sudden deterioration" in Liverpool NHS Trust after marking medically fit and ready for discharge....My Family are asking for your help for an independent inquiry into Liverpool NHS Trust into their End of Life Care Practices and Protocols along with the poor quality of care and negligence suffered by many patients including my mother who was a patient from November 2023 to September 2024
My Family seek A "National Right to Life" Legislation to be known as "James Law" to help Save lives and put a stop to misusing End of Life Care Practices and people dying in hospitals of Avoidable Deaths..... especially if Assisted Dying becomes Law
It is now coming up to 13 years since Dad died and we still don't know why or what happened to him in the care of Aintree Hospital.
There has been no Apology for what happened to Dad or an Apology for the way we were treated as a Family by the Hospital.
The family need Clarity and Accountability into the Factors that led up to my Mother's and Father's Deaths in order for us to get closure
Our NHS Complaints have been passed to 2 CEOs of Aintree Hospital, to the NHS Ombudsman, the CQC, the Coroner has been involved, but no one has effectively helped us with it to fully answer our questions and concerns and no accountability from the Doctors
It is in the Public Interest to act on what I am asking in this Petition as our Court of Protection and Supreme Court Cases were High Profile Landmark Cases which Ruled that Life Saving Treatments "Were Not Futile" for my Father when Doctors were telling us they were "Futile" How many other Families are getting told this also?
My Family challenged the Doctors for months about my Father's Hydration Levels and the Administration of dangerous Opiates including Morphine Oramorph and Codeine (which Dad was allergic to) on a few occasions against Dad's and the Family's Wishes.
We hope to prevent this happening to other Families and to help prevent Avoidable Deaths
The End of Life Care plan is clearly getting misused on "the wrong Patients" on Hospital wards as comments from Families across the Country attached to my Petition show.
It is everyone's Human Right to receive Treatments and Correct Fluid Management Control in Hospitals it is what Doctors sign up to " The Hyppocratic Oath" for Saving Lives!.
My Family are requesting for a meeting with the Prime Minister Andy Burnham and The Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to hand in this petition in person.
Kind Regards
Julie
12,962
The Issue
- Dear Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper
- I have started this petition for an Inquiry into the use of End of Life Care practices in Hospitals including Aintree Hospital Liverpool NHS Trust to have my father's medical records to be investigated when he was a patient for 8 months in 2012, after being admitted and diagnosed with constipation, he ended up critically ill and severely dehydrated then put on The Liverpool Care Pathway now known as End of Life Care, to be known as Assisted Dying if passed.
- End of Life Care is being "misused" on the wrong patients in our hospitals targeting vulnerable people including the elderly, and people who lack Mental Capacity.
- Formerly known as "The Liverpool Care Pathway" developed for terminally Ill patients in Hospices, End of Life Care has perpetuated many of its worst practices on hospital wards allowing patients to suffer days of dehydration under heavy sedation, leaving them unable to ask for food or drink leading to horrible undignified deaths.
- As Evidence is shown in A Report from The Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group titled "When End of Life Care Goes Wrong" with 16 Case Studies of Families stories who have experienced wrong doings in the NHS Care of their loved ones including my Family's Case which is Case Study 2 of the Report which was handed into Parliament a few years ago.
As evidence shows many patients are wrongly put onto End of Life Care instead of minor issues being treated, or to coverup negligent /poor care especially if patients are deemed to be "too old", all done clearly to save money due to the cost the elderly are putting onto the system ignoring their "Right to Life". This elderly generation have worked all their working lives paying more Taxes and National Insurance Contributions towards the NHS longer than any other generation
There has never been a better time for an Independent Inquiry into DNARs and End of Life Care practices and protocols including the administration of lethal medications including Morphine and Midazolam which the COVID Pandemic has highlighted.
The re introduction of The Liverpool Care Pathway along with blanket DNARs are being used on our hospital wards on patients who are getting told treatments are futile and they are dying when this is not always the case, with Life Saving Treatments being withdrawn and Opioids like Oxycodone Morphine and Midazolam getting administered and overused and patients are dying.....
As Assisted Dying is being debated in Parliament I am calling for a full public debate to include families like mine who have experienced these atrocious practices along with an Independent Inquiry into the protocols used to help prevent others from being wrongly put on End of Life Care which could potentially lead to Assisted Dying if it's made Law.
Which leads me onto my father the late David James, who was a fit and healthy 68 year old talented musician from Liverpool who played on one of Liverpool's clubs just 3 days before driving himself into our local hospital Aintree NHS Trust with stomach pains. After examination by a bowel consultant he was diagnosed with constipation the hospital admitted him until bowel function resumed.
What should have been a 2 night stay in hospital turned out to be 8 months on CCU.
We are the family who was at the centre of "The Right to Life" Case AintreevJames in 2012 in The Royal Courts of Justice as the hospital wanted to withdraw treatments 3 weeks after dad was admitted because in their words "he was dying". There was never a diagnosis into what made him critically ill all we know is dad got Hospital Acquired Pneumonia within days of him being admitted into Aintree Hospital then Sepsis resulting from it, which kept him in hospital where he ended up severely dehydrated, resulting in kidney failure, and critically ill after just 3 weeks!
The hospital wanted to withdraw all treatments 3 days after dad's admission into CCU without an explanation why or what happened to him.
We felt intimidated and bullied as the Hospital tried to get us to agree with them to stop treatments telling us they were "futile".
The family couldn't agree with the Doctors so they took us to a Court of Protection in Dad's Best Interests where doctors admitted he was on an End of Life Care Pathway
The family Won the Trial Case as Judgement was passed that treatments were not futile and Dad still had a "Quality of Life Worth Living".
The hospital unfortunately later appealed in The Appeals Court and got the decision overturned.
Dad got another hospital acquired infection....he sadly passed away on December 31st 2012.
One of our main questions and concerns is Why were doctors so intent on withdrawing all treatments after just 3 weeks of admitting dad, telling us he was dying when he wasn't (he actually lived a further 7 months) and putting him onto End of Life Care after getting a diagnosis of Hospital Aquired Pneumonia which turned into Sepsis.
In 2013 the case went into The Supreme Court as The Appeals Court had got the Law wrong in its reasoning. The Supreme Court ruled The Court of Protection had got the Law correct and that treatments were not "futile" so the "Precedence" Aintree Hospital had tried to set giving permission for all CCU in hospitals the right to withdraw life saving treatments if they thought were "futile" was stopped in The Supreme Court hearing.
We were praised as a family by Lady Hale saying "The Family have won the Argument of Principle " and Judgement was passed that we were correct to have challenged the doctors to carry on treatments as they were not "futile".
As a result part of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 was changed for people who lacked Capacity and written in the BMJ that "doctors must take into account families wishes in life and death decisions for their loved ones. " This judgement has been passed in the Highest Court in the land but many over 60s are still being admitted into our hospitals and ending up heavily sedated and severely dehydrated on hospital wards...no matter what they are admitted into hospital with.
I am requesting for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and The Health Secretary to consider Dad's medical records to form part of an Inquiry into End of Life Care Practices and how he ended up Critically Ill, severely Dehydrated with organ failure with doctors pressurising us to agree with them to withdraw treatments as they were saying were futile ..
With the ongoing debate of The Assisted Dying Bill we are asking for Legislation to be passed to Protect Families Rights and Wishes to be considered in doctors decisions in administering/withdrawing medical treatments...especially when a patient lacks Capacity...(as in the Ruling passed in The Supreme Court Case in 2013)
My family wish to include in the Inquiry an investigation into the "misuse" of Midazolam in these "death pathways" again often administered against families wishes with no consent from patients or family members who have full LPA....as my family have recently experienced with my Mother in the same hospital whom she initially took to The Supreme Court in 2013 concerning my Father....my Family are seeking the use of Midazolam to be erased and refrained from use in these "death pathways"
My Mother sadly passed away after a "sudden deterioration" in Liverpool NHS Trust after marking medically fit and ready for discharge....My Family are asking for your help for an independent inquiry into Liverpool NHS Trust into their End of Life Care Practices and Protocols along with the poor quality of care and negligence suffered by many patients including my mother who was a patient from November 2023 to September 2024
My Family seek A "National Right to Life" Legislation to be known as "James Law" to help Save lives and put a stop to misusing End of Life Care Practices and people dying in hospitals of Avoidable Deaths..... especially if Assisted Dying becomes Law
It is now coming up to 13 years since Dad died and we still don't know why or what happened to him in the care of Aintree Hospital.
There has been no Apology for what happened to Dad or an Apology for the way we were treated as a Family by the Hospital.
The family need Clarity and Accountability into the Factors that led up to my Mother's and Father's Deaths in order for us to get closure
Our NHS Complaints have been passed to 2 CEOs of Aintree Hospital, to the NHS Ombudsman, the CQC, the Coroner has been involved, but no one has effectively helped us with it to fully answer our questions and concerns and no accountability from the Doctors
It is in the Public Interest to act on what I am asking in this Petition as our Court of Protection and Supreme Court Cases were High Profile Landmark Cases which Ruled that Life Saving Treatments "Were Not Futile" for my Father when Doctors were telling us they were "Futile" How many other Families are getting told this also?
My Family challenged the Doctors for months about my Father's Hydration Levels and the Administration of dangerous Opiates including Morphine Oramorph and Codeine (which Dad was allergic to) on a few occasions against Dad's and the Family's Wishes.
We hope to prevent this happening to other Families and to help prevent Avoidable Deaths
The End of Life Care plan is clearly getting misused on "the wrong Patients" on Hospital wards as comments from Families across the Country attached to my Petition show.
It is everyone's Human Right to receive Treatments and Correct Fluid Management Control in Hospitals it is what Doctors sign up to " The Hyppocratic Oath" for Saving Lives!.
My Family are requesting for a meeting with the Prime Minister Andy Burnham and The Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to hand in this petition in person.
Kind Regards
Julie
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 1 January 2017