Responding to the first phase of a review by the Care Quality Commission which found that do-not-resuscitate orders were wrongly allocated to some care home residents in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK Director, said:

“The blanket use of do-not-resuscitate orders for care home residents is one of the most devastating scandals of the pandemic.

“It is welcome that the CQC’s interim review recognises that these orders were used unacceptably and states the expectation that care providers should ensure best practice.

“But given the acknowledgment that unlawful do-not-resuscitate orders may remain in place, this report does not do enough to put that right.

“That’s why we have called for Government to instruct that every single DNACPR added to a resident’s care plan since 1 March this year is reviewed immediately. Time is passing and older people with unlawful DNARs in place should not have to wait for these deadly decisions to be reversed.”