The editorial panel of the BJR made an error at the proofreading stage of the latest issue and omitted the authors name from the article, The legal and ethical aspects of assessing mental capacity when considering Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders. The error has been corrected on the electronic version on this site.
Chris Penhale, SRO at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, wrote this excellent article. Chris has an interesting role,
I am a Senior Resuscitation Officer at the Royal Berkshire Foundation NHS Trust. I have been seconded part time for one year to South Central Strategic Health Authority. This is to implement a Unified Do Not Attempt CPR Strategy throughout the Region. This is an existing pan SHA, cross sector collaborative project to deliver a unified DNAR policy with common documentation across all sectors. Representatives are already contributing to this work programme from all 9 PCT's and 9 Acute Trusts in South Central, Care homes, Hospices, Ambulance and other emergency services, patient representative groups, children andadolescent services amongst others.
A large variety of Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) policies and methods of documentation currently exist within South Central and this can lead to confusion relating to correct decision-making and communication processes. This results in the occurrence of distressing incidents, for example inappropriate resuscitation attempts in acute hospitals and on terminally ill patients dying in the community.