Tuesday, December 8, 2015

First they came for the disabled ...

Can't quite believe Kent hospital put a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order on Andrew Waters, quoting his learning disabilities as a reason.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34938832

And they didn't even consult his family or carers.

It may have been 2011 when this happened.  It's irrelevant that it was not actually implemented or implicated in his actual death.

An apology isn't enough - it needs an enquiry.

I'm not being madly alarmist but this is how the Nazis started.  Their 'Aktion T4' programme of euthanasia of disabled people http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-euthanasia.htm actually came before the other larger parts of the holocaust such as jews, socialists etc..

First they came for the disabled ...    No doctor should be so arrogant as to set up a DNR on a person with learning disabilities without consulting both the person and his family/carers.  I would have thought an MDT (Multi Disciplinary Team) meeting at least would be appropriate.  ...and neither Downs Syndrome nor learning disability are any sort of reason for a DNR.

Rest in Peace Andrew.  My condolences to your family.  (and my admiration for their dignity in not looking for any compensation - you're right, it isn't and shouldn't be about the money - it'a all about the care.)

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