Doctors and nurses should have better training on end-of-life conversations, England’s health ombudsman has said. The recommendation follows a higher number of complaints than normal about communication of “do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” (DNACPR) decisions made during the covid pandemic.
A DNACPR notice is made by a doctor and does not require patient consent, but legally a patient who has capacity must be informed, or otherwise their next of kin must be told.
However, the ombudsman, Rob Behrens, said that in some instances doctors had breached people’s human rights by not even informing them or their family that a DNACPR decision had been made. In a report published on 14 March he called for urgent improvements to the way health professionals talk to patients and their loved ones about end-of-life care.1
Such discussions are often left too late and carried out under extreme stress or …