Hospital Inspection Reports Show DNR Orders without Consent

Both the United States and England
post hospital inspection reports for public examination.  U.S. reports are
posted to Hospital Inspections.org,
a site hosted by the Association of Healthcare Journalists.  In England,
inspection reports are posted by the CareQuality Commission.
 

Both the U.S. and English databases include recent
reports citing hospitals for entering DNR orders without documented patient or
surrogate consent.  For example, in a report on Calderdale Royal Hospital in
Halifax:

We saw a Do Not Attempt
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) form in place within two of the records
we looked at. We looked at the first form dated 20 December 2012 and saw it had
been documented that a discussion had not taken place with the person using the
service about the decision not to resuscitate and their next of kin was not
available to discuss this decision. We looked at the progress notes and saw a
record of a discussion with the next of kin dated 20 December 2012 that stated
they had been informed of the poor prognosis of their relative but, there was
no entry to indicate their agreement to introduce a DNACPR form

And in report on Saint Mark's Medical Center in
Texas:

Patient #1 was
assigned a do not resuscitate (DNR) status with no documented communication
between patient (or patient's family) and physician prior to the physician
order.