HL Deb 28 October 2003 vol 654 cc31-2WA
The Lord Bishop of Oxford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many complaints from patients or patients' families there have been about:

  1. (a) burdensome treatment being excessively prolonged; and
  2. (b) the premature withdrawal of artificial means of nutrition and hydration. [HL4689]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner):

The Department of Health does not hold letters on individual complaints made by patients or their families, most of which are handled by the National Health Service locally.

Upwards of 1,000 letters have been received by the department in the past two years that concern these matters. Among these were four instances of families commenting on their personal experiences of treatment being, in their view, unduly prolonged. In respect of personal experiences about the premature withdrawal of artificial nurition and hydration, we have not been able to identify any specific correspondence.