Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Do Not Resuscitate Notices Debate
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Baroness Wheatcroft
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Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Do Not Resuscitate Notices
Baroness Wheatcroft Excerpts(3 years, 7 months ago)
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Baroness Wheatcroft (Non-Afl) [V]
My Lords, the Minister has already said that he quite understands that there will be people, particularly the elderly, who do not wish to be resuscitated. One easy way of ensuring that resuscitation does not happen is for people to have a living will. Will the Minister undertake to try to encourage GPs to ensure that all their patients understand this and that they have the potential to have a living will?
Lord Bethell (Con)
My Lords, the benefits of living wills are enormous, both for those entering the last stages of their life and their loved ones. It is something that we are keen to encourage. I do not know the precise arrangements for how GPs play a role in that, but I will be glad to write to the noble Baroness and explain what provisions are in place for encouraging the use of living wills.