A Kirkcaldy woman says she felt as if she has been “written off” by health bosses after being handed a”do not resuscitate” form saying CPR would not be successful.
Christina Clark, 59, was given the document by a doctor at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, where she was being treated for breathing and heart rate problems.
She said she only realised what it was when she got home and is refusing to sign it.
The form states that because of Mrs Clark’s asthma and bronchiectasis — which is similar to bronchitis — “CPR will not be successful”.
The mother of three, who is self-isolating because of her pre-existing health concerns, said she had been in and out of hospital numerous times since childhood and had never been asked to complete a request of this nature before.
Mrs Clark was speaking after The Courier reported the concerns of relatives of a Dundee pensioner with memory problems, who found a similar form among the paperwork from her GP surgery.
That discovery led Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs to demand a formal apology for the family.
Mrs Clark said: “Since I was eight years old I have suffered bad respiratory problems. I am in and out of hospital. I am allergic to almost everything I eat.
“I had an episode on Tuesday (March 31) and was taken to hospital. After I was seen to and getting ready to leave, a junior doctor came to see me and he was quite jittery. He handed me a form and said it was because of my medical history.”
She said she wasn’t clear about what the doctor was asking from her, so took the form home with her to look at later.
“I never really took it in, but when I got home and read the form it was quite confusing,” she said.
“It doesn’t say anything about coronavirus on it. Why are they giving me this now?
“I’ve battled though all sorts to stay alive in my life. I’m a fighter.
“It’s like they have written me off. How can they say I don’t have a chance?
“The NHS have been brilliant throughout, but I would like to know who decided to hand out this form.”
Dr Chris McKenna, NHS Fife medical director, said: “Our policy has remained unchanged despite the spread of coronavirus and there are no protocols in place preventing staff from performing resuscitation on patients with Covid-19.
“As with any aspect of patient care, we have an obligation to prevent our staff from being exposed to harm and have asked that the necessary personal protective equipment is worn when performing CPR to prevent possible exposure to the virus.
“A huge amount of work has been carried out over recent weeks to prepare our services for the anticipated increase in demand, and enable us to provide the best possible care to those who need it, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 or not.”
