A watchdog group has said that patients in the United Kingdom with learning disabilities who contracted the coronavirus were given unnecessary “do not resuscitate” orders.
Mencap, a watchdog group aimed at helping those with learning disabilities, has said they received multiple reports from coronavirus patients with learning disabilities who were told they would not be resuscitated if their health deteriorated, according to a report from The Guardian.
“Throughout the pandemic many people with a learning disability have faced shocking discrimination and obstacles to accessing healthcare, with inappropriate Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices put on their files and cuts made to their social care support,” Edel Harris, Mencap’s chief executive, told The Guardian.
The do not resuscitate orders might have cost lives during the pandemic last year, according to The Care Quality Commission, a health care regulator in the U.K., said.
According to the news source it is not immediately clear why these orders were placed on people with learning disabilities. Do not resuscitate orders are usually administered to people who cannot withstand CPR.
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