Quote Originally Posted by Peter View Post
Yes, I understand it is down to clinical judgement. However, when you are talking about an experimental procedure with very little data, what are they basing this clinical judgement on?

We are talking about the difference between acceptance and clutching at straws. If the kid is dying anyway he doesn't have a lot to lose. I would have got the bloke over sharpish (economy).
You are basing this clinical judgment on the fact that it's an experimental procedure with very little data and that what data there is suggests no likely effect on the condition in question. No reputable clinician could possibly justify distress to a dying child based on the existence of a treatment whose data suggests no likely effect better than placebo.

Sure, if the parents had got this doctor over earlier, then great. He could have made whatever recommendations he liked and the NHS staff could have assessed them on their merits and acted according to the child's best interests. However, it is not the role of the NHS to start flying in quacks from around the world to experiment on dying children.