Campaigner horrified as G4S places ‘don’t resuscitate’ on her file earlier than ambulance journey – Incapacity Information Service

A controversial outsourcing company refuses to act after mistakenly advising one of its ambulance crews that a disabled activist agreed to include a Don’t Try Resuscitation (DNAR) order on their records.

Anna Morell was about to use a G4S non-emergency ambulance to take her to a routine appointment when one of the paramedics asked for written evidence that she didn’t want them to try to resuscitate her when her heart or breathing was on the Trip stopped.

She was horrified when the paramedic showed her his cell phone screen, which showed that he had received the instruction: “Pick up DNR.”

Although he immediately phoned a G4S colleague and made sure that the note was removed from their records, Morell said the incident was “deeply worrying” as she always makes it very clear at G4S that she does not have a DNAR.

Morell (pictured), media and communications manager for Disability Rights UK, was later told that an administrative error had occurred but the error was “inexcusable”.

Serious concerns have been raised repeatedly throughout the pandemic about the misplacement of DNAR notes in the medical records of disabled people.

In March, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that since March 17, 2020, more than 500 DNAR decisions have been made “that were not agreed upon in conversation with the individual, their relative or caregiver”.

The true number will have been even higher as the number was based on responses from only about 2,000 of the 25,000 adult social workers the CQC asked for information.

G4S said this week that its crews always ask for confirmation that a DNAR is in place before starting a trip, and that Morell verbally apologized when the crew member found the mistake had been made.

Morell said she was “in disbelief” when she realized that the crew had been told that they had set up a DNAR.

She said, “The crew took quick action to have it removed and assured me that the protocol is to see the document visually without having to revive it, regardless of whether a patient verbally insists on it [a DNAR]. ”

But she said that humans are “fallible”.

She said, “If the process goes wrong at the end of the process by the administrator, it can go wrong at the sharp end of the process.

“Disabled people, including myself, are extremely nervous about the ability of third parties to include inaccurate information on our records through DNAR messages.

“This happened in nursing homes at the beginning of COVID, in nursing homes outside of COVID, and I know other disabled people who have also learned from ambulance crews in other parts of the country that they have received DNAR reports by mistake.

“Simply pressing a key without due care and attention can be the first step in a domino effect that leads to the loss of life.”

She said G4S needs to implement a “resilient process from start to finish” to ensure that such a failure “clearly cannot” occur.

She has suggested G4S use clearer wording when the call center staff ask service users if there is a DNAR that requires a yes or no answer and a copy of the booking details is sent to passengers which can be E. – Use mail as “failsafe”.

Kamran Mallick, Managing Director of Disability Rights UK, said: “The trust and confidence of people with disabilities in systems was shaken last year when we heard DNRs were being applied to them without consent during the pandemic.

“I was also repeatedly asked if I had set up a DNR when booking hospital transport.

“It is terrifying to be asked again and again, and Anna’s experience shows that an administrative error can lead to devastating results.

“Boring assurances that the ‘mistake’ has been corrected are far from reassuring.

“How many similar bugs have not been identified?

“The NHS and its contractors must stop working if they believe that the lives of disabled people are of lesser value.”

Morell regularly uses the G4S Non-Emergency Patient Transportation Service (NEPTS), which is provided under a contract with NHS Kent and the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group.

Last month, G4S admitted forcing disabled patients to share non-emergency ambulances during the COVID-19 pandemic, but insisted they follow NHS directions.

This week G4S refused to say how the bug was allowed to happen; how seriously Morell’s complaint took; and what steps it would take to make sure it never happened again.

Instead, a G4S spokesman said in a statement: “The safety of those who use our service is of the utmost importance. That is why we have procedures in place to identify any recording errors at the earliest opportunity.

“Our crew will always ask the patient to confirm a DNACPR (Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation) form, and without that confirmation, the crew would begin the CPR in the event of cardiac arrest.”

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