Date Published: 20 May 2010
BMA backs new GMC guidance on end of life care
Responding to the end of life care guidance issued today by the General Medical Council (GMC), the Chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA)’s Medical Ethics Committee, Dr Tony Calland, said:
" The BMA has been involved with the development of this guidance and we support it. How best to care for individuals at the end of life is one of the most complex areas in medicine and it is essential that clear guidance is in place to assist doctors to act in the best interests of their patients.
We believe the GMC’s new guidance is clear about the need to work with the patient or where appropriate their relatives or advocate to ensure that they are treated fairly, with dignity and without prejudice.
This guidance will also be invaluable for patients and their relatives who need the reassurance of readily accessible information about what to expect in the very anxious period at the end of a person's life.”
Source: British Medical Association..