During the pandemic, blanket Do Not Resuscitate Orders have reportedly been placed on a small number of patients with learning disabilities without consultation with their families.
Munira raised this issue with the Minister for Equalities in Parliament, urging the Government to end this injustice.
Munira raises issue in Parliament
Speaking in the House of Commons, Munira said:
“I welcome the Minister’s acknowledgement early on in her statement of the disproportionate impact of Covid on disabled people. She said that work is ongoing and there will be future reports, but I hope she will agree that we need urgent action.
She will know that disabled people are 11 times more likely to die from coronavirus. We have also heard very disturbing reports of “do not resuscitate” orders being put in place, particularly for those with learning difficulties, without consultation with their families. I recognise that the Care Quality Commission is investigating this, but will she commit to ending this injustice urgently?”
Kemi Badenoch, Minister for Equalities, responded:
“The Government rightly take very seriously the outcomes for those with disabilities. The largest disparities were by age for both males and females, done by gender. However, there is a wider strand of work that the hon. Lady references, where this will be looked into.
We cannot allow any part of the population to feel that they have been forgotten; they have not. I can assure her that we are taking this seriously, not just in the equality hub but in the Department for Work and Pensions.”