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Baroness Williams of Crosby said in the House of Lords on 12 May 2006:
“… I have a letter from a distinguished nurse … saying that already under the terms of the Mental Capacity Act there has been a notable slip towards bringing the lives of some patients to an end. She writes from the hospital where she has worked for many years. ‘All of a sudden we nurses aren’t allowed to pass NG tubes unless the Consultant has approved it. This is just a new protocol since the Mental Capacity Act’. She goes on to say that she has been forbidden by consultants from sustaining life on the part of patients who have not asked to die. This is the slippery slope in practice, and is something we have to consider extremely seriously.”
SCHINDLER PRIZE
Robert and Mary Schindler, the parents of Terri Schiavo, fought for her life because they believed passionately in its infinite value. They stirred our memories of “Schindler’s List” in their unshakable respect for human life.
FIRST DO NO HARM, a doctors’ group who prefer care to killing, is offering an annual £500 prize to honour their name. It will be awarded to a doctor who provides the best account of any battle to save a life that has been dismissed as valueless.
Tell us about a patient who was unable to speak for himself or herself, a patient whose food and fluids were withdrawn, or who was suffering from dangerous neglect, and whose life someone tried to save. It does not matter whether the attempt was a success, provided that it was sustained and made in the belief in human value.
Of course the account would be anonymised before publication.
First Do No Harm, P.O. Box 17317, London SW3 4WJ.
Tel: 020 7730 3059
Fax: 020 7730 0818
e-mail
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