Consent to treat
Who and why
All healthcare professionals must maintain, protect and uphold the rights of patients. In order to treat patients lawfully the healthcare professional must gain consent. However, consent to treatment can lead to varied, difficult and sensitive issues where the healthcare professional must consider and apply key principles in order to carry out their duties to best practice standards.
This course has been designed for healthcare professional to equip them with the knowledge and key competencies to deal with consent issues, including patient capacity and choice, safely, lawfully and to best practice standards on a day to day basis.
Course outline
Consent to Treatment is an intensive and practical training day. Through trainer led discussions and practical case studies the issues facing healthcare professionals will be examined. Varied, difficult and sensitive issues of consent will be discussed including: the assessment of patient capacity and the consideration of patient choice taking into account any ethical and religious issues, as well as how to ensure any necessary consent is obtained.
The course will also examine the ability to withhold treatment. Finally the future developments of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the current draft code of practice and Mental Health Bill will be discussed, as these developments will have an impact on all healthcare professionals in the future.
Key learning points
- A practical understanding of the fundamental principles of Consent and Human Rights
- How capacity is considered
- What to do if capacity might be in question
- How to balance patient choice with professional practice and available resources
- Issues to consider on the withdrawal of treatment
- Acting on advance directives
- Applying the principles regarding patient information to enable choice and consent effectively
- Understand and accommodate impending changes