FIFE Conservatives have this week urged the public to lodge official complaints if they’re unhappy about the use of Do Not Resuscitate forms by the NHS.

Council Group leader, Dave Dempsey said: “We’ve looked in depth into how this procedure is supposed to work. Its full title is Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and, if applied properly, it makes a lot of sense.

"However, a key part is a discussion with the patient and/or the patient’s relatives or representative and we have evidence that that isn’t happening every time. No procedure is 100% perfect but what we need to know is how often it’s failing.

“A Freedom of Information Request to NHS Fife shows only one complaint in the last year that has led to an investigation. There have been more reports than that in the press. How many other cases are there? We just don’t know.

“It must be very distressing to find that a DNR decision has been made but not properly explained. It’s understandable that patients and relatives may not want to make an official complaint. But that’s the only way to stop it happening to others".