I WONDERED why the top media headlines of five or so years ago about the bed-blocking elderly had disappeared and now I know why (“Pathway to a peaceful death”, Saturday Review, January 5).
With a 60 per cent target set by Government for in-hospital deaths by means of the Liverpool Care Pathway, and financial incentives to encourage hospitals further, no wonder the demographic curve that favours the elderly is being gradually corrected.
How clever of everyone concerned and how subtle, to kill two birds with one stone – whoops, I mean implement the Care Quality Improvement Programme – and overcome the perceived excess numbers of the elderly in our population.
NAME & ADDRESS SUPPLIED, Southampton.
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