Commenting on the news that the government will issue new guidance for patients and their families on DNARs, following a legal challenge, Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Independent Age, said:
“The decision to introduce national guidance on do not attempt resuscitation orders (DNARs) is welcome news. The pandemic has been a difficult time for both patients and NHS staff, but older people have sometimes appeared to become a chronological age and a set of risk factors, rather than a person of value with a life story of their own.
“It’s critical that this new guidance ensures a personalized approached that includes the patient and their family or other next of kin so they can make careful choices about what is right for them. All decisions should be made on the basis of fitness to treat rather than on stereotypical assumptions about age.”