Grandmother told doctors to remove 'do not resuscitate' order from her medical file... then died days later unaware a SECOND one had been issued

A mother died two days after a ‘do not resuscitate’ order was put on her medical notes against her will, a court heard yesterday. Janet Tracey had already made doctors remove the instruction once but they are accused of reinstating it ‘in her best interests’. The doctors say consent was given by the 63-year-old’s family – an assertion her four daughters dispute vehemently.

Patient: Janet Tracey, pictured with her husband David, was being treated in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge when doctors issued not one but two DNR notices, apparently without her consent

The family says Mrs Tracey, who was being treated for terminal lung cancer and a broken neck, told them that hospital staff wanted to ‘get rid of her’. Her husband David has launched a landmark case at the High Court against Cambridgeshire University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for defying his wife’s wishes and ‘acting unlawfully’. Mrs Tracey, a care home manager, was involved in a head-on collision last February – just two weeks after she was diagnosed with lung cancer and given 18 months to live. She was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where she picked up pneumonia. Described as a strong woman with a ‘thirst for life’, Mrs Tracey responded to treatment and was horrified to be told of the DNR notice, which stated that her family had consented.

 

Legal battle: Mr Tracey stands outside the Royal Courts Of Justice with his daughters Kate Masters (second from right) and Alison Noeland (right) and solicitors Sophie Turner (left) and Merry Varney (second left)

Mrs Tracey received treatment, and died, at Addenbrooke¿s Hospital in Cambridge

In a statement read to the court, Mr Tracey, 65, said: ‘I found her in tears, so distressed. It was horrible. She told me the doctor had told her about the DNR and the decision had been made. I told her neither I nor the girls would do that to her. ‘We managed to reassure her we hadn’t agreed to this. ‘At one particular point, she did say they were trying to get rid of her. ‘I told her not to be so silly, which proved to be a mistake.’

The order, issued on February 27, was cancelled on March 2. Her family claims she was then ‘badgered’ by staff when she was alone to make a decision about resuscitation options. On March 5, a second DNR was issued with the notes: ‘The patient does not want to discuss resuscitation.’ It was claimed three of her four daughters had agreed to it. When Mrs Tracey died two days later, her daughter Alison Noeland found the note and raised it with staff.

Fears: Mrs Tracey told her family that staff 'wanted to get rid of her'

She says she had specifically told the doctor who issued the second DNR that they had refused consent for it on March 5. Mr Tracey, a retired engineer from Ware, Hertfordshire, said: ‘My girls told me they found a second DNR on mum’s notes and the notes said I had agreed.I was disgusted and shocked. I would never have agreed to something against my wife’s wishes.’

The family also claim that Mrs Tracey, who had seven grandchildren, was placed on the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway without her consent or knowledge, although this will not be dealt with during the court hearing.

The LCP involves the withdrawal of lifesaving treatments and means patients are sedated and denied nutrition and fluids by tube. Mrs Justice Nicola Davies is hearing evidence to determine the facts before a judicial review in February, which will seek to clarify whether there is a legal duty to inform patients about a DNR notice.

Edward Faulks QC, representing the hospital trust, said doctors had issued the DNRs after consultation with senior staff, Mrs Tracey and her family. A DNR notice tells staff not to try to restart a patient’s heart, saving them traumatic and often pointless pain. The hearing continues.

 Source: Daily Mail UK  

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