Waipuna Hospice has negotiated a two year funding contract with the Bay of Plenty District Health Board to implement the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) within the BOP region, beginning in August, 2008.

This is a two step programme and follows the integration of LCP into the Waipuna Hospice Inpatient Unit in March 2008.

Step 1 (2009):
One Aged Care Residential Facility with dedicated palliative care beds
One General Practice
One ward of the Tauranga Hospital.

Step 2 (2010):
Further Aged Care Residential providers with dedicated palliative care beds
The Eastern BOP Community Hospice
Further wards within the Hospital,

The LCP affirms the vision of transferring the model of excellence for care of the dying from hospices into hospital and community settings.

It provides an evidence based framework for the delivery of appropriate care for dying patients and their relatives in a variety of settings.

It encourages a multi-professional approach to the delivery of care that focuses on the physical, psychological and spiritual comfort of patients and their relatives that has been shown to empower staff in the delivery of care.

The LCP provides guidance on different aspects of care including comfort measures, anticipatory prescribing of medicines and discontinuation of inappropriate interventions.
It replaces all other documentation.

To ensure that an appropriate and uniform standard of care is delivered to patients for whom life expectancy is not more than a few days.

It sets measureable standards in end of life care.
It avoids crisis interventions in the community and inappropriate admissions to hospital.

It empowers staff and improves multiprofessional communication in the delivery of optimal care.

Educational Support

Waipuna Hospice provides regular study days and teaching sessions for caregivers, registered nurses, enrolled nurses, medical, and ancillary staff.

For an introduction to the last hours of living visit http://www.liv.ac.uk/mcpcil/liverpool-care-pathway/index.htm.