Doctors are urged to ensure over-75s have made a living will so their wishes on being resuscitated are clear as NHS faces increased coronavirus strain
- Doctors asked to ensure elderly have a ‘do not resuscitate’ order if they wish to
- Message sent to GPs was circulated by an unnamed respiratory physician
- The plea is hoped to reduce strain on the NHS during the coronavirus outbreak
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Doctors are being asked to ensure their elderly patients have a ‘do not resuscitate’ directive in place should they wish to, as the NHS comes under strain due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The message sent to GPs has urged them to discuss older patients’ medical options with them and was circulated by an unnamed respiratory physician, reports The Sunday Times.
Trisha Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at Oxford University, tweeted on Saturday: ‘From a hospital respiratory physician. Please ask GPs to ensure that all nursing home patients have an advance directive in place where appropriate.’
An elderly man walks with a Zimmer frame, dangerously close to others on Chelsea Embankment , South West London, amid the coronavirus pandemic
Palliative charity, Compassion in Dying, said the move would mean ‘difficult decisions for doctors will be made much easier’ during this crucial time.
NHS guidelines already ask GPs to draw up end-of-life plans for over-75s, as well as younger patients suffering from cancer, dementia, heart disease or serious lung conditions.
Guidelines also suggest asking whether the patient wants doctors to try to resuscitate them if their health suddenly deteriorates.
Usha Grieve, director of information and partnerships at Compassion in Dying, told The Sunday Times: ‘We have heard from people who are concerned about surviving the virus with a poorer quality of life than they currently have, and want to explore how they can express their wishes clearly to their loved ones and doctors.’
NHS guidelines already ask GPs to draw up end-of-life plans for over-75s
By signing an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) patients can ensure their loved ones understand their wishes said the charity.
Adding: ‘Difficult decisions for doctors will be made much easier if they know what we do and do not want.’
Only four per cent of people in the UK are believed to have signed an ADRT, according to a You-Gov poll carried out in 2018.
However The Sunday Times reported that Google searches for ‘living wills’ had increased by 79 per cent over the last week, compared to the previous week.
Doctors are being asked to ensure their elderly patients have a ‘do not resuscitate’ directive in place should they wish to
This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped up the country’s response to the outbreak and urged people not to go out or to visit others unless they had to.
He had been warned that the original strategy of trying to slow down an outbreak could lead to 260,000 people dying – new efforts could cut this to below 20,000 which the government’s chief science adviser called a ‘good outcome’.
Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders, clinical lead for palliative and end-of-life care at the Royal College of General Practitioners told The Sunday Times that specific restrictions could be written into an ADRT such as the wish not to be placed on a ventilator.
She added that an ADRT would only apply if the person receiving the treatment was ‘not able to express their wishes at the time’.