title: The changing nature of end of life care.
abstract: Good end of life care (EOLC) for patients with incurable cancer is becoming a greater priority for oncologists in recent years. Frameworks such as the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) have often been helpful in guiding good care at the end of life. However, in the past year, the LCP has been phased out of use in the United Kingdom (UK), following concerns that it was poorly implemented. This review describes the LCP's origins in the UK, its strengths and limitations, and the concerns that prompted a review of its use. It describes the recommendations for change made by an independent review, and the alternative strategies now being developed in the UK to guide good EOLC. Although the LCP is still being widely used worldwide, the lessons learned from the UK can be widely applied in other countries.
authors.affiliation: Specialist Registrar, Palliative Care, London Deanery, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Katrine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cauldwell
authors.affiliation: Marie Curie Chair of Palliative and end-of-life Care, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Paddy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stone
keywords: Hospice care; palliative care; policy; terminal care; therapeutics