Hospital doctors signed elderly woman’s ‘death warrant’

Posted: November 5, 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence Wrongful & Accidental Death 

After 79-year-old June Brook was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital with sickness and diarroea last month, doctors at the hospital signed a ‘do not resuscitate’ order without the approval of her or her family. During her stay, it was granted by doctors that if her condition worsened, it would be a case of allowing her to die.  Paperwork stating that the order had been issued due to her family not being present was discovered in Mrs Brook’s handbag after she had been discharged from the hospital.

The order found in Mrs Brook’s handbag had been signed by two doctors, dated the 10th of October 2013, stating that CPR would not be required for Mrs Brooks as she suffers from dementia.  The hospital has apologised for these findings and has promised to carry out a full investigation into the nature of this documentation.

‘To me it looks like a death warrant’

Mrs Brook’s son, Kevin Brook, is appalled by this judgment and said: “It would basically have meant that they would have not resuscitated her, and she would now no longer be with us … to me, it looks like a death warrant.”

A hospital spokesman has confirmed that if a doctor has made a medical decision regarding whether or not a person should receive CPR, the patient and family should be consulted and are entitled to an opinion concerning this judgment.  Mrs Brook is currently back at home with her son and is in fine health.

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