The British Medical Association (BMA) is the national organisation that represents doctors.

They have written a paper about what doctors should do if there are more people with Covid-19 than they can treat.

This might mean doctors making decision about who does not get treatment because there are not enough staff or beds. Decisions like this are called ‘ethical’ decisions. The BMA paper was to help doctors think about those decisions.

Learning Disability England thinks the BMA document could discriminate against disabled people.

We wrote to them and asked them to change this guide so that doctors are reminded about people’s rights, the law and reasonable adjustments. You can read the full note here

There is an Easy Read Summary LDE Concerns about the BMA Ethics guidance 14.4.20

Update from the BMA

The BMA replied to us quickly. They said they are aware of the concerns we raised and know it would be wrong and illegal to not treat someone just because of their age or disability. The BMA are reviewing the guide and will include our concerns in the review. We will share updates or any news from the BMA on changes they make.

Their reply is copied in this picture below