Thousands of dying patients given do not resuscitate orders without consent of families

Mirror.co.uk ^ | 5/2/16 | Harriet Line

[originalbuckeye]

Hospitals across the UK are imposing do not resuscitate orders on tens of thousands of patients without informing their families, an audit has found. The investigation, by the Royal College of Physicians, estimated that around 200,000 patients are issued with the order for health workers not to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In 16% of cases, the study found there was no record with the patient about making the order. The study also found that hospitals are failing to tell relations that they will not perform the potentially lifesaving technique. Its audit of 9,000 dying patients found that one in 5 families did not know about the plans, equalling around 40,000 patients a year, reported the Daily Telegraph .

The audit's chairman Professor Sam Ahmedzai told the Telegraph: "When a decision has been taken, it is unforgivable not to have a conversation with the patient - if they are conscious and able - or with the family." He added: "This is being done very late in the day - as doctors we just don't like to face up to it." The survey was commissioned by the NHS which said there is "more to be done" to tackle the problem. Read more: "Jeremy Hunt, how dare you!" Grieving mum launches impassioned attack after daughter dies at end of doctors' strike.

An NHS England spokeswoman said: "We welcome the results of this audit, which we commissioned, and which shows there has been some improvement in the care provided. "But there is clearly more that can be done. "Although this audit presents a snapshot of end-of-life care within NHS hospitals, there are clear variations in the support and services received across hospitals and areas where improvements must continue to be made."

[norwaypinesavage]

In 2005, a hospital placed a DNR order on my mother, who was in for gall bladder surgery. They did not inform any of us in the family. She was 86 years old, and our family believed she was in good health. It never became necessary to execute the DNR order.

It turns out that my father was hiding her dementia, as best he could, from us. We wanted to believe the best, and didn't challenge him. The DNR order was probably correct, but, in fact, we were not informed. I went to the hospital at about supper time, and had to feed her. She could not even feed herself. I thought it was the anesthetic. In fact, it probably was the dementia. Though we were not informed, the DNR order was probably appropriate. However, we all should have been informed when it was placed. We saw it on the papers in her room, and had it removed. In retrospect, had we been informed of the reasons, we probably would have agreed, and would also have been much better informed when her later medical decisions became more obvious.

[originalbuckeye]

But your signature in on the DNR. It was obviously your choice. The patients involved in this didn’t make that choice. Their Docs made the DNR choice without even consulting the families.

[originalbuckeye]

Prayers for your comfort and your husband’s health, trisham.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Obviously the Comrade hospital administrators and Comrade doctors are performing a valuable service to the patients without additional charge.

[spokeshave]

Not only seniors in UK...but premature babies....smashed up kids from motor cycle accidents....and anyone else looking a bit frail for whatever reason.

[sargon]

Thousands of dying patients given 'do not resuscitate' orders without consent of families.

In other words, murder...

[minnesota_bound]

A few years ago the British newspapers ran a series of articles on how 80,000 people were being murdered each year by the free healthcare in England.
This had been going on forever there. It goes on in every country that has socialize healthcare. Look at the millions killed by the actions of the democrat party in the mideast and in asia.

[kearnyirish2]

This actually isn’t about race but cost; those savages will get the same treatment when they are no longer taxable worker bees and require care.

I have a lot of issues with the anarchist movements, but understand why they arose. People in Europe saw things clearly a century ago that Americans are just realizing in the last couple of decades. The whole phenomenon of so many Americans refusing to “play the game” (have families, buy homes, work themselves to death) really illustrates how much people are understanding how it works now...

[SaraJohnson]

Liberals would love to have this power to murder.