Resuscitation Council UK responds to concerns over DNR/DNACPR orders

Sue Hampshire, Director of Clinical and Service Development at Resuscitation Council UK said:

“Having clear recommendations for a person’s care and treatment when they are well is vital so that in a future emergency, in which they don’t have the ability to make or express what is important to them, there is a robust and recognisable plan that their family and healthcare team know. That is why Resuscitation Council UK is leading on the UK-wide adoption of the ‘ReSPECT’ process, which goes beyond End-of-Life Care, it’s about all of us at all stages of life having a healthcare plan that anticipates a life-threatening emergency.”

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Background:

  • ReSPECT stands for Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment.
  • You can find a link to our policy on the ReSPECT process here.
  • Access to robust and recognisable communication in a health crisis is key to ensuring conversations can transform the care experience when it matters most.
  • ReSPECT supports professionals, patients and/or their families having a person-centred conversation around making recommendations about their care and treatment in a future emergency in which they are unable to communicate this for themselves.
  • Our recommendation is that The ReSPECT process is adopted as the single Emergency Care and Treatment Plan (ECTP) for all ages and that NHSD/X develops a single digital platform for healthcare records that integrates the ReSPECT process.
     

For media enquiries please contact 020 7391 0730 or email communications@resus.org.uk

  1. Resuscitation Council UK is saving lives by developing guidelines, influencing policy, delivering courses and supporting cutting-edge research. Through education, training and research, we’re working towards the day when everyone in the country has the skills they need to save a life.