An 85-year-old woman who wants a chance at life, no matter what, was shocked to find a not-for-resuscitation order placed on her file at Palmerston North Hospital's emergency department.

Her son, Tim Wallace, is angry the order was filled out by a doctor without consulting him, as her enduring power of attorney, or his mother, who was too sick to speak for herself when admitted. Mr Wallace has laid a formal complaint with MidCentral Health, which has launched an investigation.

A Woodlands Rest Home resident, Juanita Wallace was taken by ambulance to the hospital for the second time in as many days last Friday with a serious chest infection.

She's been in care for 12 years, is frail, largely bed-ridden, hardly able to see, and dependant on help for toileting and showering.

"Her quality of life is not very good," said Mr Wallace. "But she is lucid enough, she doesn't have dementia."

He said whenever the subject had been discussed, his mother had refused a not-for-resuscitation order, the last time being a couple of months ago when the rest home updated records.

So Mr Wallace was shocked when he visited his mother in Ward 25 to find the yellow do-not-resuscitate order had been filled out by a doctor, whose name he couldn't read.

The doctor had circled the part of the form that indicated discussion had been held with patient and family.

"She could not have had this discussion, and they didn't call me."

In the ward, his mother had been given morphine and no fluids, was largely unconscious, and her oxygen supply was not turned on, he claimed.

"I feel they are playing God and making arbitrary decisions about who should be treated."

Mr Wallace said he turned his mother's oxygen back on himself, insisted that the morphine be cut back and that she be given fluids. The next day, she was sitting up in an armchair and was talkative.

He said once she was fully aware, he told her about the order, and she was "amazed".

"The nurses were just acting on the information they were given, I've got no complaint with them. Of all the people in the hospital, they are the ones that keep the patients alive."

Mr Wallace said he alerted the Manawatu Standard because he didn't believe the hospital's complaints system achieved anything, but later spent three hours in negotiation with customer services.

MidCentral Health refused to comment publicly because an official complaint had been lodged. It would investigate and respond to Mrs Wallace's family within 15 days.