Inside the Ethics Committee - Series 5 - Phobia

Joan Bakewell is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the real life case of Chris, who has kidney cancer and urgently needs an operation to remove the kidney. Without surgery, the cancer could spread and will almost certainly kill him. He has a wife and a young family. But as the operation approaches Chris cancels. He is terrified of going under anaesthetic. His surgeon offers him another date, and then another, but each time Chris cancels. Five months down the line, the surgeon is extremely worried that Chris' cancer could have spread. But he is under pressure; each time Chris misses an operation, half a day of operating time - a fully staffed operating theatre session - is wasted. What is the surgeon's duty of care to a patient who is refusing a potentially life saving operation? What is a reasonable degree of persuasion for the surgeon to use? What about Chris' rights - given he has a severe phobia, does he have the capacity to refuse a potentially life saving operation? And what about his responsibilities - is it fair to keep diverting resources away from other patients in this way? Joan Bakewell is joined by her panel of experts to discuss the complex ethical issues arising from this case.