Member

On Amendment 79, I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, for meeting me and two distinguished consultants from St Thomas’ Hospital this week; namely, Professor Nicholas Hart and Dr Robin Howard. Both are experts in treating patients with complex and progressive illnesses. They explained why diagnosis and prognosis alone cannot be reliable indicators of how and when a person can be reasonably expected to die. They also illustrated the very wide range of medical, technical, pharmaceutical, social and environmental modifying treatments that can slow down progression and alleviate symptoms. They gave powerful examples of terminally ill patients living far beyond their prognosis and thriving at home and in the community due to good-quality health and social care interventions.