The family of a man unlawfully allowed to die by doctors without the court’s involvement have won their appeal and asked a coroner to investigate his death.
Robert Barnor suffered a severe stroke in April 2025, followed by further strokes leading to extensive and irreversible brain damage. He never recovered consciousness. Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust disagreed that treatment should continue and argued it was in his best interests to die.
On 11 February 2026 it made a “clinical decision” to stop dialysis saying there was “no best interests decision” for the Court of Protection to make. However, professional guidance for doctors states: “Where there is disagreement about whether a course of action is in the best interests of the patient, or the decision is ‘finely balanced’ … the Court of Protection remains the ultimate decision-maker, and can and should be asked to decide.”
