Chapter 14: The End of Life
This is part of the online companion site to the book Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law - The Mental Capacity Act in Action, edited by Christopher Johnston, written by members of 3 Serjeants' Inn and published by Bloomsbury Professional in 2010.
The site provides (1) updating material as it becomes available and (2) hyperlinks to website addresses given in the hard copy. The material is organised according to the book's chapter headings. Click on the chapter headings on the left-hand side to access the material for other chapters.
Updating material
End of life decision-making guidance
GMC Guidance for doctors, “Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making” came into force on 01.07.10. This guidance replaces “Withholding and withdrawing life-prolonging treatments” (2002) and expands on the guidance in “Consent, patients and doctors making decisions together”.
http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/6858.asp
Hyperlinks
Paragraph 14.15 - Footnote 1:
See APPENDIX 14.1 and 14.2 for further extracts from the Code and see www.aomrc.org.uk/aomrc/admin/reports/docs/DofD-final.pdf for the full Code.
[Editor’s note, 13.10.10: This website appears to have been reorganised so the link no longer works. We will update this site with an alternative link as soon as we can.]
Paragraph 14.17 - Footnote 2:
The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 can be found at
www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2009/ukpga_20090025_en_1.
Paragraph 14.19 - Footnote 1:
http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/CLINICAL-STANDARDS/ORGANISATION/PARTNERSHIP/Pages/Care-dying.aspx .
Paragraph 14.19 - Footnote 2:
Results can be found at http://www.mcpcil.org.uk/liverpool-care-pathway/.
Paragraph 14.19 - Footnote 3:
Link source, see also www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk.
Paragraph 14.26 - Footnote 2:
See http://www.rlcinquiry.org.uk/.
Paragraph 14.26 - Footnote 3:
See http://www.bristol-inquiry.org.uk/.
Appendix 14.1:
Section 26(2)(d) of the Human Tissue Act 2004 empowers the Human Tissue Authority to develop a series of Codes of Practice, including the definition of death for the purposes of that Act only. The Codes published thus far are available at www.hta.gov.uk/guidance/codes_of_practice.cfm
Appendix 14.1 - Reference 1:
Footnotes from the original document have not been included in this Appendix. See http://www.aomrc.org.uk/aomrc/admin/reports/docs/DofD-final.pdf for the full Code.
[Editor’s note, 13.10.10: This website appears to have been reorganised so the link no longer works. We will update this site with an alternative link as soon as we can.]
Appendix 14.1 - Reference 2:
Appendix 3 of the Code, found at http://www.aomrc.org.uk/aomrc/admin/reports/docs/DofD-final.pdf .
[Editor’s note, 13.10.10: This website appears to have been reorganised so the link no longer works. We will update this site with an alternative link as soon as we can.]
Appendix 14.3 - Reference 42:
Sheikh A, Gatrad AR. “Children and Young Families”. In Ethnicity, Health and Primary Care, Ed. Kai J. Chapter 16 p. 151. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. UK Census England andWales www.pro.gov.uk
Appendix 14.3 - Reference 43:
www.ethics-network.org.uk