my FIL was put on this without our consent. he was 83 broke his hip in a fall.
waited over four days for a hip relacement on a side ward and just given paracetamal!
Eight weeks on his carer was sat beside him, he lived on his own with a carer to come and clean and cook for him.
He had diorear and they talked over him across the bed to his carer and said we need him to go into a nursing home as he can't stay here and he is not ready to go home.
This sent him into a distressed state and the next day my DH got a call to say he was refusing to eat!
we drove to see him the next day as it was a five hour journey.
when we got there the nurse told us he had maybe an hour to live!
He was on a syringe driver into his thigh and was not allowed food or drink.
we were given a sponge to wipe around his lips.
He cried out in pain when I gave him a hug, they told me he had cellulitus!
He did not die for another four days.
four days of hardly leaving his room, he cried silent tears!!!
Then exhaustion set in and we had to check into a hotel for the night. we left at 9.30pm after tucking him in and kissing him goodnight. He had not been awake all day.
40minutes later we got a call to say he was gone.
At the time we had never heard of the Liverpool care pathway. This was 2009 we are convinced he would still be with us now if they hadn't wanted his bed back!
death certificate said pneumonia but he never had a post mortum. He had a hip replacement!!!!!