The family of a pensioner who spent four days begging for food and water after he was placed on a controversial end-of-life programme have accused a hospital of treating him "like a dog". The family of Ron Jee claim the 80-year-old was put on a programme similar to the Liverpool Care Pathway. This involves the withdrawal of food, fluids and medication for terminally ill patients who often die within hours of being put on it.
But they say he was treated like a dog after he spent four days on the end of life pathway when doctors said his condition was deteriorating after he was admitted to hospital with a stroke and then developed pneumonia.
Mr Jee's daughter, Christine Coleman, 52, said: “He was spending his days crying. No one should have to spend their final days like that.
”If I did to my dog what they did to my father I would not be allowed to own a dog again."
She claims her mother was consulted about putting her husband on the pathway by staff at Basildon Hospital but that it was not explained properly.
Mrs Coleman, of Averley, Essex, said: “He was begging for water. We had to wet a sponge and put it around his mouth."
She also claimed there was a catalogue of incidents of poor care at the hospital, which included leaving his call button out of reach, a lack of compassion, and leaving him to sleep in urine and faeces stained bedsheets.
Doctors decided not to connect Mr Jee, of Grays in Essex, to a food supply again on August 5 as his organs were too damaged. He was put into an induced coma and died four days later on August 8.
A hospital spokesman confirmed the trust had met with Mr Jee's family several times and said: "The trust appreciates that the past few months have been extremely difficult for Mr Jee's family, and has offered its apologies face to face in a meeting which took place on Tuesday, October 8.
"The trust is committed to listening and learning. As discussed with the family, we will continue to have an open dialogue with them and will be providing them with a written response to their complaint once the investigations are completed."
The first randomised trial of the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway found no “clinically meaningful” advantage of putting patients on the programme, researchers reported last month. The trial took place on cancer patients in 16 Italian hospital wards.
The pathway was developed in the 1990s as a way for doctors to remove treatment if it meant terminal patients would have a more comfortable death.
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Poster Comment:
"The pathway was developed in the 1990s as a way for doctors to remove treatment if it meant terminal patients would have a more comfortable death."
Death panels - coming to America soon! This is the way our parents are going to be "humanely" snuffed. If I'm not mistaken, Obama's medical consultant who helped him develop Obamacare - Ekiezel Emanuel ( the M.D. who never practiced medicine...cough, cough) was a big fan of the Brits' medical system. hmmmm....