At least one NHS trust has issued a blanket "do not resuscitate" order for pandemic patients, a Covid inquiry has heard.

This means that an individual is deemed ineligible to perform potentially life-saving CPR based solely on age or disability, without an individual evaluation.

Professor Jonathan Wiley, former chairman of Resuscitation England, said he was aware of one trust that had implemented the policy, although he had not seen the documentation.

A group representing families of Covid-19 victims said they were "shocked but not surprised".

According to NHS guidance, a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNCPR) order can be added to someone's medical record, following consultation with the patient or their family.

This means that if a patient's heart or breathing stops, medical staff will not attempt chest compressions or defibrillation (an electric shock to restore a normal heart rhythm).

Only 15-20% of patients who receive CPR in the hospital survive, and the success rate of CPR outside the hospital drops to 5-10%.

Groups representing bereaved families believe some hospital departments are so overwhelmed by the pandemic that they are implementing blanket DNACPR rules based solely on age, disability or health status.

then, Charity Mencap says Some people with learning disabilities have reportedly been told they will not be resuscitated if they contract coronavirus.

NHS England has said it would be unlawful to impose blanket DNACPR rules on everyone with certain medical conditions or over a certain age.

it Wrote to NHS trusts multiple times during the pandemicreminding clinicians that orders can only be applied with "appropriate consent".

Professor Wiley told the inquiry he had not seen documents from the relevant NHS trusts but had heard about the policy from a member of the resuscitation committee.

The charity, which develops guidance and training for medical staff, later issued a "very clear" public statement saying blanket DNACPR orders "are not the appropriate way forward and should not be implemented".

"This is our position and it has never changed," Professor Wiley added.

Justice for Covid-19 Families UK said the use of a blanket policy would be "irrefutable evidence" that some NHS services were already overwhelmed by the pandemic.

Nicola Brook, the group's lawyer, said: "The inquiry heard on multiple occasions from senior levels that the DNACPR package was inappropriate and that no instructions were given."

“The families of the deceased knew early on that the reality on the ground was very different.

"Their worst fears have now been confirmed, but it also raises further questions, 'If it happened in this trust, did it also happen in the trust where my loved one is?'"