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Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT)

In this video, you’ll learn what an ADRT is and how it allows you to record the medical treatments you would not want if you became seriously ill or unable to express your wishes. This legally binding document helps ensure your choices are respected and gives clarity to your family and healthcare team during difficult moments.

 

 

Key points

 

  • An ADRT is a document that lets you record the medical treatments you do not want if you become seriously ill or lose the ability to communicate your wishes.
  • An ADRT can only be used to refuse treatment, not to request or demand specific treatments.
  • It is a legally binding document that must be signed in front of one witness.
  • Examples of treatments you may choose to refuse include ventilation, dialysis, artificial tube feeding, and resuscitation.
  • It is best to complete an ADRT while you are well and able to think clearly about your preferences for future care.
  • An ADRT may also be known as a “living will” or an “advance directive.”
  • Specialist resources exist to help you complete the document properly because it has to be written in a specific and valid way.
  • It is important to discuss your ADRT with the people close to you and any healthcare professionals involved in your care.
  • Copies of the ADRT should be shared with your family, your GP, and brought to hospital if you are admitted, so your wishes can be followed if you cannot speak for yourself.
Printable information sheet

 

Meet our experts

Dr Ros Taylor MBE

Dr Ros Taylor has over 30 years of experience in palliative care and was awarded an MBE for Services to Hospice Care following a nomination by a patient. She was Clinical Director at Hospice UK, a national umbrella organisation for the hospice/ palliative movement, advocating for improved access to palliative care in all settings including care homes. In January 2020, she took on the medical leadership role to re-open Michael Sobell Hospice in West London. She has contributed to the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death on topics such as the ‘will to live’, power and gender issues. She is a Senior Advisor to the Montreal International Congress on Palliative Care, and has most recently developed a new resource, HPAL, which curates essential palliative information for both family and professional caregivers.

 

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The resources available are not, and are not intended to be, medical advice, which should be tailored to your individual circumstances.  The resources are for your information only, and we advise that you exercise your own judgment before deciding to use the information provided. Professional medical advice should be obtained before taking action. Full terms and conditions