Who should take consent?
Obtaining consent can be delegated to others – not necessarily doctors
As consent is a process centred on discussing the benefits, side effects and potential complications of proposed treatments and procedures, the person who takes consent must also be able to provide all necessary information to the patient and so, ideally, the person taking consent should be the same person providing that aspect of the patient’s care.
As that is not always practicable, obtaining consent can be delegated to others – not necessarily doctors – providing that they are suitably trained and qualified, have sufficient knowledge of the proposed investigation or treatment and understand the risks involved, and otherwise act in accordance with the guidance set out by the GMC and the Department of Health.
Doctors who delegate responsibility for obtaining consent remain responsible for ensuring that their patients have been given sufficient time and information to make an informed decision before embarking on treatment, and that their consent to proceed is valid.
Scenario 7
Dr T is an F1 doctor doing a rotation in gynaecology. Mrs V is admitted prior to a Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE) and Dr T is asked to confirm her consent to the procedure, which she gave three weeks earlier in the outpatients’ department. Further questions and some concerns have occurred to Mrs V in the intervening weeks, and she particularly wants to know how the UAE will affect her chances of conceiving and carrying a baby to term. Dr T has only a sketchy, theoretical, understanding of the procedure, which he has never seen performed. He is therefore not competent to obtain Mrs V’s consent and must refer her questions to the radiologist who will be carrying out the procedure.