DOCTORS SIGNED OFF ON‘DEATH WARRANT’
Family’s fury over do not resuscitate order
Doctors at Hairmyres Hospital have been accused of “playing God” after placing a do not resuscitate note on a patient’s chart – just hours after she was admitted for a heel infection.
Christina Lloyd’s family only found out the potentially fatal order had been made by doctors last September when they reviewed
her patient notes at home.
Doctors had assessed the 85-year-old and concluded CPR ‘probably wouldn’t work’ should the worst happen.
Daughter Vivian told the News that neither her mum, nor the family, were consulted over the decision to implement a do not attempt CPR (DNACPR) order.
Now she has demanded answers from NHS Lanarkshire who she says are playing fast and loose with patients’ lives.
Vivian told us: “Physicians assuming the role of God without consulting with either patient or family is food for thought.
“One in five families in the UK are unaware of DNACPR orders being in place.
“I met with a nurse after the DNACPR was already in place. So what was the point of the meeting?
“It was certainly not to discuss mum’s likes and dislikes.”
Christina, who has been living with Parkinson’s for the past 13 years, was admitted to the hospital on September 21 after a wound on her left foot became infected.
The same day doctors signed off on the DNACPR order form.
Vivian, who cares for her mother on a full-time basis, only discovered the form after her mum had been discharged.
Although Christina may be older and not as fit as she once was, Vivian knows her mother still has a life to live.
Acting on the advice of paramedics, the family agreed to take Christina to Hairmyres.
Vivian is adamant her admittance wasn’t as the result of frailty or her
Parkinson’s, but the infection on her left heel.
She added: “This situation would never have occurred had the staff of ward 15 addressed and respected mum, her family and the power of attorney in place.
“For a staff nurse to suggest that a certificate granted by my mother, and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, was worthless is perhaps something that should most certainly be addressed and investigated.”
Chief of nursing at Hairmyres, Susan Friel, said appropriate treatment plans are agreed by clinical staff and “based on available evidence as well as the individual needs of the patient”.
She added: “While we cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, we have been in contact with Ms Lloyd through our formal complaints process.
“We follow NHS Scotland guidance contained within the DNACPR integrated Adult Policy, which is clear that patients will continue to be managed with appropriate treatments for their health and comfort irrespective of their DNACPR status.
“Any decisions regarding the application of the policy should be discussed with the patient or carer by medical and nursing staff and this should be documented.”