Health bosses in Fife have insisted there has been no change to the policy for issuing no-resuscitation orders.
Concerns had been voiced as the number of coronavirus cases escalated in the UK.
In Dundee an elderly woman was sent a ‘do not attempt CPR’ form after a phone call from her GP practice and in Kirkcaldy a woman was shocked to be sent home from the Victoria Hospital with the same document.
Age Scotland reported seeing “very worrying examples” across Scotland where people felt pressurised into agreeing to no CPR.
NHS Fife has offered assurance that the policy it follows is unchanged and issued a copy of the guidance following a request from the Fife Conservatives.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) includes delivering chest compressions, artificial respiration and defibrillation in the event of a cardiac arrest.
NHS Scotland policy states that inappropriate, futile or unwanted attempts at CPR can cause significant distress to patients and families.
It says it is essential to identify patients for whom cardiopulmonary arrest is the terminal event in their illness and for whom CPR will fail or is inappropriate.
It also says a DNA CPR decision should be based on clinical judgement that CPR will fail rather than any judgement about the quality of life that may be achieved.
Councillor David J Ross said: “Having now read the policy and having requested further assurances I am now satisfied that the policy is being carried out in the correct manner.”
The Conservatives’ lead on health and social care on Fife Council wrote to NHS Fife medical director Dr Chris McKenna and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership expressing concerns.
