Bishops in the Catholic Church have called for access to coronavirus treatment in hospitals to be fair and respect the dignity of all patients.

With the NHS under huge strain from large numbers of coronavirus patients, they said that access to treatment must be fair and not governed by mental or physical capacity, or other factors like societal function, age or existing health. 

"With the escalation of the coronavirus, demand on NHS resources is outstripping supply and those responsible for our care and well-being are facing challenging decisions," they said.

"What may well be on all of our minds is what provision will be available if I, or a loved one, is in need of treatment and life-support in these circumstances.

"While we would all agree that the allocation of resources must be done as fairly as possible, the criteria of fairness must be clear and shared by us all.

"These principles apply both morally and in the law which governs our expectations and rights on health and social care." 

Reflecting on the Christian understanding of all people being made equal in the image of God, the bishops said that the value of each person was not diminished by ill-health. 

"God made each of us and in so doing gave us all equal dignity and value. This is never lost during sickness or dying," they said. 

In the face of scarce resources, the bishops said that decisions around treatment must be based on whether it is likely to benefit the patient, and take into consideration "the common good".

"It is important to bear in mind in any discussion of resource allocation and medical rationing when the tension between the appropriate treatment and scarcity of resources has, in most people's experience, never been so visible," they said.

"A decision against offering a certain life-prolonging treatment to an individual must never be a judgement based on the worthwhileness of that person's life, including their age or other social characteristics, but a pragmatic decision about the likelihood of him/her benefiting from the intervention given their medical condition.

"This principle has been upheld in case law repeatedly and the NHS Constitution itself is clear that we should deliver care and support in a way that achieves dignity and compassion for each and every person we serve.

They urged people with underlying health conditions to discuss their views around treatment with their families to ensure good communication with healthcare workers, but they also asked hospital staff to "deal sensitively with those affected".

"We pray for them as they strive to serve both the patient and our wider society in this time of need, and we thank them for their hard work and commitment," they said.

"We must always be mindful of the spiritual care of patients and their families, as well as of health and social care staff.

"Our chaplains have a particular role in this regard, but we will all know someone for whom we can pray and offer support." 

The letter was signed by Bishop John Sherrington, Bishop Paul Mason and Bishop Richard Moth.