Is it illegal to deny blood?

[Mark Thompson]

I am from the UK and I am wondering if it's right to deny someone blood. My mother's mother has angina and she is 89 years old. She keeps needing a transfusion on a weekly or fortnightly basis. She is also very anaemic and is bleeding from the bowels which is suspected to be where she is losing blood. When she has been admitted into hospital she has on one or two occasions if she still wants to take blood but the last time the sister on the ward said that she will other than give her any more blood. My mother said that she disapproves of this but her mother's nurse said that it is the nurse above her that has the final decision. My mother's mother said that she other than wanted any more blood and that is what made her make the decision, but she has now changed her mind. However this has other than changed the mind of the hospital and they refuse to give her any more blood. I would have thought this to be wrong since it will be more stressful to the patient.