A Scots grandmother has been left disturbed after receiving a 'Do Not Resuscitate' form through her door that had been signed off by two doctors, despite never giving any consent.
Jacqueline Hawthorn, 78, from Paisley, was admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for 10 days in November suffering from a serious chest infection.
During her stay, the pensioner said that a doctor came to speak to her about having a 'Do not Resuscitate' (DNR) order placed on her medical records. Jacqueline said it wasn't something she would consider, but when she returned home she received a letter dated November 24 confirming a DNR had been added to her records and signed by two different medics.
She told the Record: "I was in shock when the letter came through the door. I remember a doctor speaking to me asking if it was something I would want to consider for the future but I said, 'No, I don't think so'.
"They said they would contact me about it but they never got back to me. Then I was sent this letter signed by two doctors even though I never agreed to it.
"As you can imagine, it gave me such a fright."
Jacqueline suffers from asthma and believed she was having an asthmatic attack when she went into hospital in November. But she was later diagnosed with chest infection that developed into pneumonia.
Despite her illness, she made a full recovery and doesn't have any ongoing damage to her lungs.
Jacqueline added that although she was stunned to receive the DNR order, she initially thought it was a simple error until she read the Daily Record coverage on other patients who have discovered the order had been added to their records without their consent.
She continued: "I saw the other articles and that's when I decided to reach out and talk about it. Hearing that this has happened to other people too makes me angry. There's something not right here.
"I haven't signed anything and neither has my family. I understand that I was very ill in November but I have made a full recovery."
We previously told how super fit teacher Fiona McVey, 44, was horrified to discover her DNR status while in an ambulance going to hospital, while 72-year-old Linda Henderson, from Perth, was left appalled to find a note on her medical file that said 'obese' and 'Do Not Resuscitate'.
Other readers have also reported finding medical files with the assignation DNACPR – Do Not Attempt CPR – or DNR/DNAR.
The Scottish Government is now facing calls to investigate widespread use of 'Do Not Resuscitate' notices on unwitting patients.
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson said: " While we cannot discuss individual patients, we would be happy to speak with Ms Hawthorne directly to clarify the details of her case, and conversations she has had with staff relating to her care, to answer any queries she may have.
"Under no circumstances is a blanket approach ever taken with DNACPRs. We aim to treat our patients with dignity and respect at all times and in making a DNACPR decision our clinicians will consider every patient on an individual basis. At all times these decisions are based on the individual patient’s best interests.
"While Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is unlikely to be of any benefit in some patient groups, we appreciate a DNACPR order can be very difficult for a patient and their family and our clinicians involve them in such decisions."
