Consent and capacity

Convention rights include the right to life, freedom from torture, slavery and right to liberty.

• Report potential patient abuse

• Balancing quality of life

• Restricted liberty during pandemic

The Mental Capacity Act (2005) was set up to assess who has capacity to consent for treatment decisions.

• If they can’t consent, every decision should be made in their best interest.

• Power of attorney

• Lacking capacity may be due to temporary or permanent impairment.

• Can consent to some interventions and not to others.

Consent is a legal requirement for treatment, valid forms can be written or verbal depending on the procedure.

Implied consent can be considered valid under certain low risk circumstances such as picking up a prescription.

1. Voluntary consent

2. Informed consent

3. Current consent, can be withdrawn at any time (patient refused to continue with procedure)