Suitably qualified nurses should be allowed to decide whether to restart patients' hearts and breathing, says new UK guidance on decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

To date, only consultants and family doctors have been able to make these decisions.

The guidance, which has been issued jointly by the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, and the Resuscitation Council, updates previous guidelines issued in 2001.

It aims to clarify lingering uncertainties about when and for whom the procedure is suitable, and to pinpoint the key legal and ethical issues that should inform …