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

8 August 2022, 12:15

Over the last few weeks a lot has been said, written, and discussed about Archie Battersbee's "dignity".

I'm not a doctor and don't profess to instantly understand complicated medical terms but no one can criticise Archie's parents for their bravery and determination to fight for their child's life.

Archie's mother Holly Dance - the woman who gave birth to him, loved him, and cherished him - had the unimaginable sight of finding him unconscious with a ligature around his neck after taking part in some horrific social media challenge.

Since that horrific day four months ago, his devoted parents have undertaken a grueling round of hearings in the High Court, Court of Appeal, the European Court of Human Rights, and even the United Nations.

Who can begrudge a desperate family trying their best to keep a much-loved son alive?

Maybe they thought they saw some colour in Archie's cheeks, some slight movement of his chest or flicker of his eyebrows.

Maybe these did not happen and they were simply the vain hopes of agonised parents. Perhaps they were simply his reflexes buoyed by the machines keeping him alive.

Here lies the lesson that the top levels of the medical profession need to learn and sadly it seems that it hasn't.

Five years ago Charlie Gard died aged 11 months after a lengthy legal battle with doctors at Great Ormond Street while the following year Liverpool-toddler Alfie Evans died after a court fight between his parents and Alder Hey hospital over keeping his life-support switched on.

It would be understandable if the under-pressure doctors and nurses at the Royal London became utterly dispirited as they were tasked with looking after Archie.

Their skill and professionalism have never been questioned but it must be incredibly hard to keep a child alive knowing that all your training and experience shows he is brain dead and has no chance of enjoying a full recovery.

Neither the parents or the hospital want to go to court and perhaps in this case proper effective communication when Archie was first admitted may have helped.

I am not doubting the skill and training of the doctors medically but perhaps they can be helped with communications.

In the case of Archie, if he was already brain dead why not at least try to transport him to a hospice. What was there to lose?

Lady Finlay, a professor of palliative medicine at Cardiff University, has argued that it would be much less tortuous for all concerned if there were a system of "independent mediation" to address conflicts between families and the NHS.

She has said: "The parents don't want to go to court. The doctors don't want to be in court. Hospital management doesn't want to be paying out legal fees and being in court.

"We have to find a better way of managing the really difficult communication when there is a difference of view over how things are going with the child."

Someone needs to be responsible for bringing families and doctors together when communication breaks down and the lives of children are at stake.

We can't have any more cases like Archie.

We really can't...