Page 236 - Demo

members of a religious community a clear indication of the religious’ wishes about their care, the medical professionals are not duty bound to follow the wishes. The medical professionals must act in what they believe to be the religious’ best interests, in the absence of any binding statement to the contrary.
HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT THE RELIGIOUS’ WISHES ARE FOLLOWED?
One dif culty is that, even if the religious has been diligent and prepared a LPA or an advance decision, they cannot always guarantee that this is brought to the attention of the relevant professionals. It is therefore necessary to ensure that once the LPA or advance decision has been drawn up, it is brought to the attention of the relevant individuals. This can be by:
Ÿ Ensuring the leadership team are aware of the document
Ÿ Filing a copy with the management of any care home where the
religious lives
Ÿ Sending a copy of any Health and Welfare LPA or advance decision to the religious’ GP and making sure that it is noted in the individual’s
medical records
Ÿ Providing a copy to key family members and explaining to them the signi cance of the decisions that have been made and the rationale for making them
Other members of the religious community should also be aware of the provisions so that, if the need arises, they know where to locate a copy of the document so that it can be provided to the medical professionals for information. This is especially important in an emergency situation.
In addition, if a religious is admitted to hospital, it is important to bring the documentation to the attention of the medical professionals as early as possible so as to ensure that the individual’s wishes are respected. In the event that the medical professionals or family members refuse to follow the wishes of the religious as set out in an LPA or advance decision, it is important to seek immediate legal advice to ensure that the religious’ wishes are followed.
In situations where an LPA or advance decision has not been made, it will be much harder for members of the religious community to be involved in the
232 Chapter 12