Prof. Mark Taubert

An article I wrote for the @guardian on the pressures of having to be overly positive - and some of the inherent dangers theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Having not bothered to engage for all of Committee, a few more pro peers present today making snippy points. If they and Lord Falconer had done the work, and taken the concerns of Royal Colleges, Disabled People's organisations etc, seriously, Bill would be in better place

Completely agree with Baroness Smith; The press quoting that the Welsh Senedd supports the TIA Bill are. Wales has been treated very shabbily by Westmister. Senedd passed a legislative consent motion ONLY because MSs felt they had no choice. They amended the LCM to note how Wales had been disregarded. Regrets that at Report stage Westminster MPs stripped out Wales having a vote, deprived Senedd of full opportunity to scrutinise and amend bill

Thank you @PaulBrandITV for including my perspective as someone who does not support the assisted dying bill. I fear for those without care who feel they have no other choice. I don’t want a choice for myself if it means further suffering for others.

@ProfMarkTaubert Wales was singled out as having inadequate palliative care in the Module 3 Report released today by the @covidinquiryuk - grim reading 😢

@drkathrynmannix @mrsbiffy @Existential_Doc @coulty78 @ProfMarkTaubert @drol007 Yep the drugs are doing their stuff Thanks 🙏 I also propose that all prescribers of drivers should experience one for a few days to understand the impact on a mobile person Just a thought 😉 Been an eye opener for me (And it’s only Bricanyl for me!)

@Existential_Doc @kittythephysio @bigbaddoctor @coulty78 @drkathrynmannix @mrsbiffy @drol007 That's really useful Tony , thank you.

@kittythephysio @bigbaddoctor @coulty78 @drkathrynmannix @ProfMarkTaubert @mrsbiffy @drol007 Fan should i direct air onto the upper 2 thirds of the face. The cooling effect via trigeminal nerve reduces tidal volumes. I’ve found some people get even more relief if they are able to inhale menthol vapour along with fan therapy.

Hello twitter world. Im sort of back.... Anyone got any great suggestions for sob management in ILD but no access to morphine or benzos? Patches i feel risky... thank u loads @drkathrynmannix @Existential_Doc @bigbaddoctor @ProfMarkTaubert @mrsbiffy @drol007 paul k?

Telegraph View: "If as much time and effort were spent on improving palliative, hospice and NHS hospital care as has been expended on this issue then people may not feel the need to seek an assisted end to their lives." AssistedDyingBill

🗳️Holyrood has rejected the assisted dying Bill- but the debate is far from over. @heraldscotland Unspun: Why lived experience from both sides isn’t a distraction from lawmaking, but essential to understanding how such legislation would work in practice. heraldscotland.com/news/25947772.…

Who in the BBC, I wonder, is driving the pro-euthanasia coverage? BBC Radio Four is the worst, but it’s right across all their platforms. Is it government-dictated? bbc.com/news/articles/…

I agree with Gordon Brown's call to improve Near End of Life Care.

They briefed the Observer on 8 February they had set up an APPG on Lords reform, but there’s no sign of it on the February register accurate up until 23 February. Could it be yet more spin from Team Death?

Thank you for expressing this so eloquently, Louis. The assumption of bad faith on the part of so many dedicated and caring psychiatrists, palliative care physicians, geriatricians, GPs and acute medics has been one of the most unpleasant & unfair aspects of this whole sorry saga. As if we chose our professions to harm, not to help. As if we weren’t caring at all. AD has never been as simple as “ending avoidable suffering”. If only it were.

But my starting point was more pragmatic, not supportive of AD but accepting. Several opponents of AD I have spoken to have said the same. But the pro-AD campaign has pushed me in the opposite direction. In that sense the debate has been served its purpose. //

There’s been a pattern lately of journalists asking HoL opponents of the #AssistedDyingBill if they are trying to amend or wreck it. Are they so opposed in principle that no version would be acceptable? It’s a reasonable question for many of us. Here is my answer. Short 🧵

Today in the legislature, I introduced Bill 18:  The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act.   This legislation is about strengthening safeguards and ensuring vulnerable Albertans are protected when they need care most. It is crucial that MAiD remains a last resort, not a first response.   We need a system that prioritizes dignity, support, and real options. Bill 18 is about making sure Albertans have real options and are met with compassion and protection, not steered toward a choice that should only ever be made in the most exceptional circumstances.   Hope should be easier to access than death.

I completely agree HOWEVER the vast majority of excellent palliative care is provided not in hospices/ specialist services but in homes by amazing DISTRICT NURSES, the unsung sheros here. yet their numbers have been decimated and working arrangements trashed. RESTORE THE DNs.

Mrs. T, 76, background of mild dementia. Admitted with COPD exacerbation. Doing well. Discharge planned for day 3. AM, night 2: bed manager moves her to a different ward. Bed pressures. Wheeled through dark corridors. New bay. Different nurses. Belongings in bags. By morning: frightened, disorientated, and calling out. Delirium diagnosed. Workup: all normal. No infection, no medication change, no pain. The cause: probably mostly the ward move itself. Sleep deprivation + loss of orientation cues + unfamiliar environment = iatrogenic delirium. We do this every night, in every hospital. Her avoidable delirium was very costly to her: reduced confidence, worse mobility, lasting traumatic memories. It also meant 4 extra days of hospital bed costs. ↳ How many cases of delirium in your hospital are caused by inadequate care? #acutecare #dementia

"Good afternoon, we would like to offer you Assisted Dying"

I met an 84-year-old woman who was offered euthanasia at a Canadian hospital practically upon arrival. Miriam didn’t want to die. She recovered well and travelled to Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala. Stop offering death to people who have adventures to lead!

📣We're still on the lookout for new members to join the APM Research and Ethics Committee! If you are interested in research, ethics and helping shape best practice in Palliative Care, then this could be the role for you! ⬇️Scan below for all the details. #PalliativeCare