Each year, an increased number of children are initiated on Long Term Ventilation. It has become clear that a standardised, network approach to initiation is required – one that takes in to account the ethical approaches to ongoing treatment. Pressures on paediatric services around high-profile, appropriateness-to-treat cases reinforce this need.
The pan-London Ethical Framework Group is a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency group that aims to develop an ethical framework for LTV initiation that occurs in a multi-disciplinary team approach with all stakeholders engaged, and in a child and family-centred manner.
The framework will be used by the full MDT
LTV team, which includes Respiratory Consultants and Nurses, Physiotherapy,
PICU
and NICU teams, Community
nursing and
Physiotherapy teams, Psychologists, Speech and language Therapists,
Dietitians, Social
Services,
Palliative Care teams,
Commissioners, Local
ethics
teams,
Parents, careers and families.