Last Thursday, in a significant judgement in the Court of Protection, Hayden J granted an application allowing the medical team caring for a patient in the minimally conscious state (MCS) to withdraw life-sustaining treatment (clinically assisted nutrition and hydration – CANH).
No doubt the case received the media attention that it did because it is the first case in which a judge has sanctioned the cessation of treatment being given to a patient lacking capacity who possesses (a minimum level of) awareness.