THE death of a retired nurse is poised to have a powerful influence on the way people’s dying wishes are respected.

Decisions surrounding the care of north Cumbrian woman Jillian Rushton were at the centre of a court case before she passed away late last year.

She had made a ‘living will’ which stated she did not want to be resuscitated or receive life-prolonging treatment if she were ever unable to make or communicate decisions about her care.

Mrs Rushton was left in a vegetative state after she sustained a devastating brain injury in an accident, but her family were at odds over whether she should continue to be fed by artificial means.

After hearing evidence, Court of Protection judge Mr Justice Hayden ruled that she should be allowed to die, with details of the case emerging in March.

Campaign group Compassion in Dying today highlighted Mrs Rushton’s case as it released research it says shows GPs nationally do not have enough understanding about living wills.

This, the group fears, could mean that people may not get the care and treatment that’s right for them at the end of their lives.

The findings have prompted the organisation to increase its support to GPs to make them more aware of the legality of Advance Decisions, as living wills are now formally known.

The judgement in the case of Mrs Rushton, who lived between Carlisle and Penrith, stated that “the medical profession must give advanced decisions the utmost care, attention and scrutiny”.

Compassion in Dying stated her surgery did not pass on details of her living will to her medical team. It said its research has found “significant gaps” in GPs’ knowledge about the legal status and implications of advanced decisions and that some doctors held assumptions “that conversations about death and planning for the end of life would be too upsetting”.

Usha Grieve, the group’s director of partnerships and information, said: “It is every adult’s right to plan ahead for their care and treatment. It provides peace of mind in the present, makes it more likely that people will get treatment and care that’s right for them in future, and helps to avoid tragic cases.”

Dr Sarah Jervis, a GP and broadcaster, has urged her colleagues to take advantage of advice available.

In the case of Mrs Rushton, bosses at NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) begun litigation and asked for a decision about her future.

She was incapacitated by her injury three years ago - a year after she made her living will. But one of her sons wanted feeding to continue.

Other family members disagreed, saying she should be allowed to die. The judge concluded Mrs Rushton would not have wanted to carry on living, that she should be moved to a hospice and given only palliative care