THE Scottish Government has said “panic” that the NHS would be overwhelmed is why some doctors have pushed older people into do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, according to the equalities minister Speaking before the Equalities and Human Rights Committee at Holyrood, Christina McKelvie committed to find out what investigations the Scottish Government has conducted to establish the practice happened.
Throughout the pandemic, reports have surfaced of older people being pushed into DNR orders, which state that CPR should not be performed should the person’s heart stop.
In one case, reported by the BBC, the family of a woman in Tayside found an already signed order in her bag when she returned from hospital, prompting an “immediate review” from the health board.
Despite repeated statements from the First Minister, Health Secretary and chief medical officer, charity Age Scotland told the committee last month that older people are still facing pressure to sign the orders.
When asked by Labour MSP Pauline McNeill about where the issue came from, McKelvie told the committee: “I think the honest answer is we don’t know.
“Our guidance didn’t change, our guidance to GPs and other health professionals didn’t change.
“I think there was a bit of a panic at the beginning thinking that the health service would be overwhelmed.
“It came along with the virus as part of a lot of the concerns that came up.”
Earlier in the session, McKelvie told LibDem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton that a letter had been sent out from a GPs practice in Wales at the beginning of the pandemic leading to “a lot of medical professionals possibly thinking ‘we should have done this’”.
McKelvie added DNR orders should be broached with patients “as part of a gentle anticipatory care plan in a way that respects and support people’s dignity and human rights”.
Updated guidance for GPs and other health professionals will be published “very, very soon”, the Minister for Older People and Equalities told MSPs.
She added: “We need to get this right, maintain people’s human rights, maintain their dignity and not just scare the bejesus out of people, because that’s what it was doing.”
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