Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued by NHS England on the application without consent of do not apply cardio-pulmonary resuscitation notices to people with learning disabilities during the covid-19 outbreak.

A learning disability should never be a reason for a Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decision and blanket DNACPR decisions for whole groups of people are completely inappropriate.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued a number of joint statements to health and care providers reiterating that DNACPR decisions must not be applied in a blanket fashion to any group. The 2020/21 General Medical Services contract Quality and Outcomes Framework now includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with a learning disability to be reviewed.