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‘Do not resuscitate’ orders given to people with learning disabilities during pandemic

People with learning disabilities have been given ‘do not resuscitate’ orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have caused avoidable deaths.

Last year, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found “evidence of unacceptable and inappropriate DNACPRs [Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation] being made at the start of the pandemic”.

The CQC interim report said: “Reports and studies have shown that there has been a disproportionate impact on a number of groups of people including older people, disabled people […]”

“The blanket and inappropriate use of DNACPR […] could have had an impact, including potentially avoidable death, on older people and disabled people living in care homes, including those with physical and sensory impairments, people with a learning disability or cognitive impairments such as dementia”.

Despite the report, the charity Mencap has said that it has received reports in January from people with learning disabilities that they had been told that they would not be resuscitated were they to become ill with COVID-19.

DNACPRs must be applied on an individual basis

While DNACPRs are usually made on an individual basis for people who are too frail or too unwell to benefit from CPR, Mencap reports that some people had been issued with a DNACPR simply because they had a learning disability.

Edel Harris, Mencap’s chief executive, said: “Throughout the pandemic many people with a learning disability have faced shocking discrimination and obstacles to accessing healthcare, with inappropriate Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices put on their files and cuts made to their social care support”.

“It’s unacceptable that within a group of people hit so hard by the pandemic, and who even before Covid died on average over 20 years younger than the general population, many are left feeling scared and wondering why they have been left out”.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is completely unacceptable for ‘do not attempt CPR’ decisions to be applied in a blanket fashion to any group of people. This has never been policy and we have taken action to prevent this from happening”.

Following these reports, and their interim review in November 2020, the CQC has been asked by the Department of Health to undertake a review of the notices issued during the pandemic. Its results will be published later this year.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “The apparent discrimination against people with learning disabilities, as found in this case, is shocking. The Department of Health is certainly saying all the right things in terms of its condemning of this practice, but that it happened in the first place and, according to Mencap at least, appears to still be happening to some degree, is atrocious”.

“The CQC report expected later this year should give a better indication of the extent of the problem but if it really is the case that ‘blanket’ use of DNACPR was implemented for people with learning disabilities during the pandemic, it reveals dark attitudes that at least some people hold in the medical and caring professions about the value of such people’s lives. It reveals a culture which fails to value the lives of the most vulnerable in our society”.

Critical appealto protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

The Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill can still be defeated at Third Reading, but only with your help.

Dear reader,

As you already likely know, the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill sadly passed Second Reading at the end of last month.

While it is very disappointing that the Bill passed Second Reading, an analysis published in The Independent shows that at least 36 MPs who supported the Bill did so only to allow further debate or because they had concerns that meant they won’t commit to supporting the Bill at Third Reading. Since then, our Public Affairs team has identified a number of other MPs who share these reservations.

With the vote passing by a margin of 55, just 28 MPs switching their stance to oppose the Bill would ensure it is defeated at Third Reading, so there is a clear path towards this Bill being defeated. We can still win this.

The assisted suicide lobby are fully aware that support for the Bill is very fragile. They will fight fiercely to prevent 28 MPs from switching their votes to oppose the Bill.

For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable lives that will be put at risk, we must win the vote and defeat this dangerous Bill.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Our campaign in the run-up to Second Reading was the biggest and most expensive we have ever run and so it has made a significant dent in our limited financial resources.

We are now working on an even bigger campaign to defeat this dangerous Bill at Third Reading.

To ensure we effectively defeat this extreme assisted suicide Bill, we are aiming to raise at least £100,000 by midnight this Sunday (15 December 2024).

Every donation, no matter the size, will mean YOU can make a crucial difference in saving vulnerable lives from this extreme law change.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from this major threat?

Critical appealto protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

The Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill can still be defeated at Third Reading, but only with your help.