NHS trust put in place do-not-resuscitate rule, Covid inquiry told

Prof Wyllie told the inquiry he had not seen a document from the NHS trust concerned but had heard about the policy from a fellow member of the Resuscitation Council.

The charity, which develops guidelines and training for medical staff, had then released a “very clear” public statement that blanket DNACPR orders were “not an appropriate way forward and should not be implemented”.

“That was our stance and that has never changed,” Prof Wyllie added.

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said the use of blanket policies would be “irrefutable evidence” some NHS services had been overwhelmed in the pandemic.

“The inquiry has heard repeatedly from those at the top that blanket DNACPRs were not appropriate and that there was no directive in place,” the group’s solicitor Nicola Brook said.

“The bereaved families have known for a long time that the realities on the ground were very different.

“Their worst fears have now been confirmed but this brings with it more questions, ‘If it happened at this trust, did it happen at the trust where my loved one was?’”