Archie Battersbee's death must lead to better communication between hospitals and parents, ethics expert says

8 August 2022, 14:17 | Updated: 8 August 2022, 14:37

Prof. of ethics outlines what can be learned from tragic Archie Battersbee case

Medical professionals must learn from Archie Battersbee's tragic death and improve how they 'dealing with disagreement and conflict,' a Professor of Medical Ethics tells LBC

Dominic Wilkinson, a Professor of Medical Ethics at University of Oxford and a consultant neonatologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital, told LBC that it is crucial for doctors and families to "try together to make plans for how to care for the child given that we have run out of medical options to help them get better" and stressed that the dispute at the centre of tragic Archie's case was a very rare instance.

Prof Wilkinson spoke to LBC's Emma Corr after 12-year-old Archie Battersbee's life support was turned off over the weekend.

Read more: LBC Views: We can't have any more cases like tragic Archie

"How do you think cases like Archie Battersbee can be dealt with in the future?" LBC's Emma Corr asked the Professor.

"I don't think these very public, very painful, very protracted court processes are helpful for anybody, but having said that, sometimes the court is the only option available and can be very helpful", Professor Wilkinson replied.

Read more: Archie Battersbee's family says they were 'backed into corner by the system' and 'stripped of their rights'

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He did note however, that there were lessons to take from the case for medical professionals: "Professionals need to improve their skills in communication, in dealing with disagreement and conflict...to help to be able to respond better to these difficult situations."

Read more: ‘He fought to the very end’: Candles lit at hospital in memory of Archie Battersbee after life support withdrawn

Archie Battersbee's family said on Sunday they were "backed into a corner by the system" in their fight for his "real best interests" after he died at Royal London Hospital.

Doctors believed he was brain stem dead after he fell unconscious in what was thought to have been an attempt at an online craze that left him unconscious at his home in Southend, Essex in April.

They argued in a series of legal challenges levied by Ms Dance that it was in his best interests to have his life support taken away, which judges agreed with. Pleas for the European Court of Human Rights and a United Nations body to intervene also failed.

"We can't simply say that doctors are right, nor can we say that parents are right" Professor Wilkinson added, concluding that it is crucial that the medical profession continues to have safeguards against any party taking action outside of a patient's best interest.