Carers and families are “terribly distressed” over revelations that people with learning disabilities in UK hospitals have been given do not resuscitate (DNR) orders during the pandemic, an Irish theologian said.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Dr Liam Waldron criticised the “unacceptable” actions of UK hospitals, saying it creates “a hierarchy of worth” and is causing “terrible distress”.
“This was actually an issue in the first lockdown and it was queried at the highest levels by the Care Quality Commission, which is like HIQA in Ireland. They castigated the health service for their approach and said it should end. These DNR notices are still being used which is absolutely unbelievable,” said Dr Waldron, who specialises in philosophy and practical and pastoral theology at Aberdeen University.
“What strikes me is that there’s some kind of a hierarchy going on here, a hierarchy of worth. Some people seem to be more equal than others. It’s really shocking to those of us who work in this field,” he added.
The DNR orders suggest a “potentially fatal” misunderstanding of human dignity, Dr Waldron said.
“With all the talk about build-back-better and reset, we see a very old traditional and really unacceptable view of people with learning disabilities, which is that they are really not up to speed and therefore really not worth bothering about too much,” he finished.
If we are going to build a better society after the pandemic, Dr Waldron said, we must start with the vulnerable.
“I think what we see in this is a very good example of a kind of hypocrisy at the heart of this talk. If we’re going to have a different kind of society afterward, like people talk about, if we’re going to have a better way of living, being kinder to each other, it starts with the most vulnerable,” Dr Waldron concluded.
