Responding to the Supreme Court judgment which ruled that an injunction on naming the doctors involved in treating two children at the centre of legal cases on the removal of life-sustaining treatment should be lifted, BMA medical ethics committee chair Dr Andrew Green said:

“This is a hugely disappointing judgment that will cause a great deal of concern not just to the doctors in this specific case, but doctors across the country, who may find themselves at the centre of similar situations in the future.

“Clinical decisions around the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment are not taken lightly, and applications to court are always a last resort, and made in the patient’s best interests. Doctors and other healthcare staff treating these patients need to be able to make these very difficult decisions free from fear of abuse. This is precisely why the BMA intervened in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

“We know these types of case, where a dispute as to what is in the best interests of the patient arises between the treating team and families, provoke strong and emotional responses, and proceedings often play out very publicly, across both established media and online via social media. Unfortunately, too often we have seen staff at hospitals at the centre of such cases targeted with abuse, and this is not limited to the direct team treating the patient.

“The public attention and response to these cases does not simply disappear once proceedings have ended in court and doctors who are simply doing their job in the best interests of their patients should not live in fear for their privacy or their safety.”

Ends

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.