Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the extent of the use of do not resuscitate orders for people with learning disabilities during the second wave of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Department is clear that learning disability should never be a reason for a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decision and that blanket DNACPR decisions for whole groups of people are completely inappropriate.
The Department does not hold data centrally on the numbers or basis for DNACPR decisions. In October 2020, the Department asked the Care Quality Commission to review how DNACPR decisions were made during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for people with a learning disability. The report, published on the 18 March, looked at how DNACPR decisions were made in the earlier stages of the pandemic. The 2020/21 General Medical Services contract Quality and Outcomes Framework now includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with a learning disability to be reviewed. The fifth annual report of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review programme published on 10 June 2021, reported that in 2020, of the people with a learning disability who were reported as dying from COVID-19, 81% had a DNACPR decision.
Jun. 15 2021
Source Page: The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme. Annual report 2020.Found: The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme. Annual report 2020.
Written Evidence May. 13 2021
Inquiry: The Government’s Independent Human Rights Act ReviewFound: The HRA guarantees the rights of people with a learning disability.
Mentions:
1: Nadine Dorries (CON - Mid Bedfordshire) Reports of inappropriate or blanket application of DNACPR decisions across groups of people, particularly - Speech Link
Found: Women and Equalities Committee: covid, disability and access to services
Mar. 24 2021
Source Page: Out of hospital cardiac arrest: strategy 2021 to 2026Found: and decision support for front line ambulance service crews in dealing withcomplex end of life care decisions
Mar. 23 2021
Source Page: Heart disease: action planFound: maintained. 3.2 Scale of heart disease in Scotland Heart disease remains a major cause of death and disability
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take in response to a reported increase in Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation orders being used on patients with learning difficulties during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have been clear that learning disability should never be a reason for a Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decision and that blanket DNACPR decisions are completely inappropriate. NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued a number of joint statements to health and care providers reiterating this.
We have asked the Care Quality Commission to undertake a review of DNACPR decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is underway and will report on later this year. The 2020/21 General Medical Services Contract Quality and Outcomes Framework now includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with a learning disability to be reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation and have asked representative organisations to inform us where cases of inappropriate DNACPR practice are identified.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the Care Quality Commission plans to publish its report on the use of Do Not Resuscitate orders for people with learning disabilities during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In October 2020 the Department asked the Care Quality Commission to review how Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions were used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they had been inappropriately applied. Interim findings were published on 3 December 2020, with a final report due shortly.
The review will consider how these decisions were made across all health and care settings and will inform national learning and good practice development as the nation continues to respond to the pandemic.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle the increase in the number of Do Not Resuscitate orders given to people with learning disabilities in advance of the Care Quality Commission publishing its review on the use of those orders during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have been clear that learning disability should never be a reason for a Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decision and that blanket DNACPR decisions are completely inappropriate.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued a number of joint statements to health and care providers reiterating that DNACPR decisions must not be applied in a blanket fashion to any group. The 2020/21 General Medical Services Contract Quality and Outcomes Framework now includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with a learning disability to be reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation and have asked organisations representing people with learning disabilities to inform us where cases of inappropriate DNACPR practice are identified so that these can be investigated.