ANNE Carty from Age Concern Southampton said: “There are concerns around this issue and elderly care in hospital in general has always been a major concern.

“I think the main concern is around the level of consultation with the family.

“We are very much in support of end of life care and the improvement of it, but I think it needs to be explained to people more to dispel the myths that are surrounding it.

“In terms of how things are done at the moment, it is all moving in the right direction, perhaps it just needs to be made clearer exactly what is available and how things are done.

“We welcome anything that encourages conversations with relatives, but in some cases there are no relatives or relatives are not able to visit, so there is that practical issue that needs to be addressed.

“News of the Amber Care Bundle pilot is very welcome from our point of view.

“Many of our clients of the older generation don’t want to talk about death and refuse to do so. “They are difficult questions to ask and answer but they are important.

“So if these conversations can be facilitated at an earlier stage that has got to be a good thing because more people are able to get involved in those conversations, allowing for the person’s wishes to be adhered to.”

Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington has endorsed a recent consensus statement in support of the Liverpool Care Pathway.

The statement concludes: “We support the appropriate use of the Liverpool Care Pathway and make clear that it is not in any way about ending life, but rather about supporting the delivery of excellent end of life care.”

It has been co-signed by representatives of a number of organisations, including Age UK, British Heart Foundation, Altzheimer’s Society, Help the Hospices, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal College of Nursing.

The statement was produced in response to what it describes as "published misconceptions and often inaccurate information about the Liverpool Care Pathway" which, it says, "risk detracting from the substantial benefits it can bring to people who are dying and to their families."

Among the points that the statement makes is that the LCP does not: “Hasten or delay death, but ensures that the right type of care is available for people in the last days or hours of life, when all of the possible reversible causes for their condition have been considered.”

Peter Pitcher, head of clinical services at Oakhaven Hospice, said that although the hospice has its own care of the dying plan, it was important to endorse the LCP and added that the hospice’s care plan reflects the important aspects of care in the LCP.

“People are asking more questions now”, he said.

“I think people feel confident with the care they get from our hospice – they trust us. “I don’t think the concerns are that high in this environment. “I think concerns about the LCP tend to be higher in acute settings.”

He added: “I think in some quarters there is misunderstanding about the LCP.

“My view is that it’s really important to note the wide range of major organisations that have endorsed the consensus statement.”