Training needed on resuscitation procedure

Improvements must be made to training for ‘do not resuscitate’ orders in the NHS, according to Jasmeet Soar, chair of the Resuscitation Council.

The process of prescribing these orders and communicating them clearly to patients and family needs work, and cuts should not be made in this area, he said.

The call comes after the decision of a husband of a patient to sue Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge for putting ‘do not resuscitate’ orders into his wife’s files against her consent and without her knowledge.

Soar, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper, highlighted the lack of consensus in when and how these notices are delivered, and suggested a public education drive, as well as improved training for NHS staff to help resolve these issues.

Alan Dobson, emergency care adviser at the Royal College of Nursing, told the paper: “If there is anything that should be raised centrally by the Department of Health, it may be a reminder that training of staff in these issues is paramount. At a time when savings are being demanded, it is vital training continues in this area.

“The issue is so complex that no matter what guidance or policy you have, ultimately it is going to come down to a judgment call between senior clinicians and patients and relatives. The reason you are going to get variations is because of interpretation. Every situation is very, very different because it is unique to every individual patient and every individual family.”

“It is good practice to inform society, let alone patients and their families, about the complexity of decisions. The more we do proactively the better. This is not to scare people but to let people know we do consider these things and how we do things in the future.”