There are continuing concerns about letters sent to/ about people in care homes, despite public bodies making clear it must stop, and indeed the Secretary of State directly addressing the nation about the unacceptability of blanket advanced care decisions and blanket DNACPR decisions. Advocacy organisations are continuing to share that this is still an issue. We know you will be tackling these issues individually, as they arise, including involving lawyers if and when needed. Here’s a reminder of the Template Letter that was shared previously.
On top of addressing these letters individually, VoiceAbility are liaising with others to seek to set up a direct route to report specific occurrences to NHS England. They are looking to collate concerns from advocacy organisations to report to NHS England to help provide a unified and overall picture. You can help build this picture by sending in confidence, the following information to Claire Lines at claire.lines@voiceability.org:
- Information about who sent the letter, i.e. usually a GP practice
- Information about which service location the letter was sent to
- Brief details (protecting the confidentiality of individuals)
- Optional – copies of letters with all personal information redacted.
- When you send the email to Claire, please use the subject heading “Blanket decisions – information for NHSE”
Information you sent will be treated confidentiality and will be shared with NHS England.
For colleagues in Wales, Welsh Government shared this letter on 17th April, clarifying the need for decisions to be made on an individual basis.