I AM concerned about the new do not resuscitate notice program being tested out at five hospital trusts and some nursing homes.

It involves sick and seriously ill patients including the very elderly being approached by members of staff and asked if they would consider and sign up to a do not resuscitate notice being placed in their hospital, care or nursing home notes, should their conditions deteriorate further.

While some may believe this is a good idea, others may not and be worried at what level of care they are going to receive in our cash and resource-strapped heath care systems if they sign up or not.

With the abuses of patients and the elderly in hospitals and care homes nearly every day in the news nothing can be trusted including this new resuscitation program.

The DNR program comes under its new title “RESPECT” which sounds very nice and safe, but it must have full public scrutiny, openness and approval before being introduced.

I would respectfully ask the cabal of managers and accountants who now seem to run our local health services and who most likely have never seen or had contact with a patient or the elderly in a care or nursing to keep us fully informed before they sneak or introduce this new resuscitation into our local heath services.

Peter Sowerby

Southampton