Down's Syndrome sufferer sues trust over 'do not resuscitate' order
A man with Down's Syndrome is suing a Kent health trust
after a 'do not resuscitate' order was put on his file.
The patient, who had developed dementia, was taken into the
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital in Margate to have a tube
fitted to give him food and medication.
But the first his family knew of the instruction was after he
was discharged, and staff at his care home found the order in his
bag.
The note gave his condition as the reason, and instructed
staff not to intervene in the event of cardio or respiratory
arrest.
Lawyers for the 51-year-old's family have condemned the order as
"blatant discrimination".
But the East Kent Hospitals Trust said it was just following
national guidelines.
13/09/12
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