Derek Draper - an invasion of privacy?

[Montespan]

I’ve been a bit horrified by the trailer I’ve seen for Kate Garraway’s documentary about her husband’s struggle with coronavirus. It included a shot of him in hospital.

I see Kate Garraway has said that given his interest in mental health, her husband would want his journey to be shared. But, is it ethical or even legal to rely on assumed consent to having such very personal information - and even footage -shared?

I do appreciate his wife means well, and has been through a lot - but i really can’t see how Derek Draper had the capacity to give informed consent to this, and in the absence of consent I don’t see how itv can show this.

Disclosure- a big part of the reason I’m so horrified by this is that I myself have been near death in intensive care (some years ago). I would have been utterly aghast if footage of me distressed & in pain had been shared. Horrified. Appalled. Humiliated. The experience was such a deeply personal one, for me & my family. Not one for the public to gawp at.

It worries me that a tv company can have such a cavalier approach to consent and privacy in a medical setting. Does anyone share these views?

I just saw terror in his eyes. I found it terrifying. She spoke about the dead eyes. I only saw him cry or seem to be in deep terror.
I was also really curious to know what his medical situation is. Can he not move his limbs? Is he only sometimes lucid? Is he in a private hospital?

I commented way up thread as someone who works in telly. I’ve now watched it.

If anyone thinks his doctors, psychotherapists & psychiatrists weren’t consulted by his wife, lawyers, agent and ITV’s lawyers at every single step of this process - before, during and after talking to Derek himself - you truly don’t understand the heart that went into making this programme.

There is no way ITV would have broadcast this programme if there were any potential question surrounding Derek’s cognitive ability to give final consent. None.

It’s a brilliant and necessary documentary.

Well I am very glad to hear that @YellowandGreenToBeSeen.

I believe he was of course asked and agreed. However going by the limited verbal responses we were shown it is hard to believe that he has the full capacity to 100% understand.

I wonder if he is in a rehab unit or care home, a year later he surely isn't still in an acute hospital bed is he? We weren't given any info on that which would have been very useful for any relative coping with a similar situation. In the early days ICU is all one to one and high tech, it can be very difficult for patients and relatives to adapt to a ward environment with a handful of nurses for 30 patients. Again, some info on the transition may be been useful rather than interviewing random nurses who had had covid that hadn't even required a hospital admission.

@GetOffYourHighHorse I thought he was still in hospital and that his stay was extended until Dec 2021....they did say this in the programme.

The amount of people on this thread bitching about a documentary that hadn't even been aired when they posted. Seriously, give your heads a wobble.

He is still in hospital, not sure if icu or hdu, but suspect he was still wired up below the neck due to his multiple ongoing complications and needing constant monitoring.

@luckylavender

The amount of people on this thread bitching about a documentary that hadn't even been aired when they posted. Seriously, give your heads a wobble.

There had been plenty of clips. Mostly of Derek grimacing and crying. Give your own head a wobble.

Much of his 8 stone weightloss would be muscle. I am doubtful he can move much on his own and probably has little muscle tone hence the rehab. Being immobile and bedridden for even a short period can have devastating impact on muscles and nerves.

@pabloescobarselasticband

Who is anyone to judge? We are not in her position, we don't know him like she does! We don't know what he would or wouldn't want, she is in the position to know! How anyone can judge her after what she has been/ is still going through is beyond me .

^this

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, he must be in a rehabilitation hospital. He's orally fed (see food on his adjacent tray table), visibly no longer has a tracheostomy and by extension, isn't ventilated. Therefore, there is no need for him to be in ITU or HDU.
There was a short clip of Derek in tears, that could be ITU delirium, but mostly he appeared lucid & had capacity.

Yes I can't see that he requires intensive care treatment or acute care now and could be managed on a rehabilitation ward. He's still very poorly though. I still feel it wasn't right for the TV camera's and viewers' to intrude on Dereck's privacy and dignity in that vulnerable moment when he was distressed and crying.

I've just watched this today. On the recommendation of my 80 + mother, a retired nurse. My Mum had only praise for Kate & how solid & tough she was.
I agree, I really don't see it's exploitative and I'm amazed how level headed her kids were and how good she is with then and Derek - Bravo!

@Umbivalent - there had been plenty of clips but that's not at all the same as watching the whole show as you know.

@l2b2

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, he must be in a rehabilitation hospital. He's orally fed (see food on his adjacent tray table), visibly no longer has a tracheostomy and by extension, isn't ventilated. Therefore, there is no need for him to be in ITU or HDU. There was a short clip of Derek in tears, that could be ITU delirium, but mostly he appeared lucid & had capacity.

You know better than his doctors on the basis of a few short clips in a TV programme?

@Nith
What a ridiculous, illogical thing for you to say, and what has knowing more than his doctors got to do with anything?

My post was actually in answer to LIZS.

Kate Garraway has said publicly ( and actually in that programme, if you were paying attention) that her husband no longer has a tracheotomy in the later part of the documentary December / Jan 2021. Therefore he cannot be ventilated, if you had any medical experience you would know that patients are either ventilated by ET tube or via tracheostomy. It's very unusual in my clinical experience, to remain in ITU or HDU once weaned off a ventilator.

Apparently he is now home with 24 hour care.