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Showing results for tags 'Consent'.
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News ArticleHealth professionals should not let fears about sharing personal data “stand in the way” of reporting patients at risk of ”being groomed into terrorist activity”, new government guidance has stressed. New guidance has been developed in response to concerns raised by clinicians about information sharing without consent for the purposes of the anti-terror Prevent and Channel programmes. It stresses that “fears about sharing personal data should not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk of abuse or exploitation”. However, despite the need for clarity it describes how the decision for making a referral without someone’s informed consent should be subject to a “case-by-case” basis assessment, which considers whether the informed consent of the individual can be obtained, and if the proposed data sharing is legitimate, necessary, proportionate and lawful. It said: “This assessment should be based on your professional opinion that there is tangible public interest or best interest considerations involved.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 29 September 2022
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Content ArticleSonia Sparkles is a senior manager in healthcare who is using her artistic skills to improve the way healthcare services communicate with patients. Her goal is to empower patients to feel at ease in healthcare settings and able to fully engage in their care. In this blog, Sonia describes how her own experience of being in hospital helped her see healthcare from a patient's perspective. While an inpatient, she felt disempowered, frightened and unable to ask the questions she wanted to. Having reviewed some NHS patient literature, Sonia realised that there was a need to find a way to communicate clearly with patients and invite them to share their concerns with healthcare staff. She produced a series of 23 posters as a starting point to get people thinking about how to communicate with patients in a simple, visual and empowering way.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Guardian, journalist Sirin Kale speaks to Janet Williams about the impact the epilepsy drug sodium valproate has had on her family. Janet took the medication to treat her epilepsy throughout her two pregnancies in 1989 and 1991, but had never been warned about the potential risks to her babies. Foetal valproate syndrome can cause spina bifida, congenital heart defects and developmental delays and is believed to have affected around 20,000 children in the UK. Both of Janet's sons were affected by the medication and require full time care as a result. Janet describes how being told about the risks would have enabled her to make an informed decision about whether to have children, and how her experience led her to help set up In-FACT (the Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust) in 2012.
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Content ArticleIn this podcast, Dr Ramai Santhirapala interviews Professor Melville about the new GMC guidance around consent and decision making, exploring some useful tips for best practice and exploring some of the challenges clinicians may face around this topic.
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Content ArticleThe Personalised Care Group at NHS England aims to help improve the choice and control that patients have over their health, as part of its NHS Long Term Plan commitments. These decision support tools will help people discuss their treatment choices with their healthcare professionals through shared decision making. The eight new tools cover the following conditions: Dupuytren’s contracture Carpal tunnel syndrome Hip osteoarthritis Knee osteoarthritis Further treatment for atrial fibrillation Cataracts Glaucoma Wet age-related macular degeneration
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Content ArticlePatient choice has been a feature of the NHS in England for the last two decades, but patients' knowledge about what choices they have in accessing their NHS healthcare is variable. This report by the Patients Association and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) looks at the role patient choice can play in tackling the elective care backlog. The report found that: there are significant variations in waiting times across the country. patients do not need to travel long distances to access care more quickly. On average, a patient would need to travel just 13.2 miles to go from one of the worst performing providers to one of the top performers. the potential for reducing waiting times by accessing care through an alternative provider was backed up by both polling and focus group work, which found the public is enthusiastic about patient choice. people's awareness of their rights around where they receive their NHS treatment is low, suggesting the Government and NHS England need to do more to promote choice and make it easier for patients to understand the options available to them.
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Content ArticleThe Accessible Information Standard gives disabled people and people with sensory loss the right to get healthcare information they can understand and communications support if needed. A survey conducted by HealthWatch between February and May 2022 aimed to investigate whether the standard is being delivered by health services, and whether it offers enough support to patients. While the survey participants were self-selected, their views are likely to reflect those of a significant group of people who need communications support. HealthWatch hopes that the survey's findings will help NHS and social care decision-makers hear what is working and what could be better from the public's perspective.
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Content ArticleIn this presentation Paula Goss, the founding member of Rectopexy Mesh Victims and Support, shares her experience of having a mesh implant. She describes the absence of informed consent during the procedure and the pain and complications she experienced following her surgery. This was shared at a Bristol Biomedical Research Centre workshop aimed at improving shared decision making for surgical innovation.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Guardian, Dr Kara Thompson, an obstetrician and gynaecologist working in the public hospital system in Geelong and Melbourne, Australia, argues that women must be given clear and unbiased information in order to make informed decisions about their birth preferences. She highlights the case of an information brochure about caesarean birth published on the website of a hospital in New South Wales, which presented incorrect claims about the relative risks presented by vaginal and caesarean birth. She outlines how the leaflet indicates that the way women are informed about birth choices is still subject to fear-mongering and shaming, and highlights the need for healthcare workers to respect maternal choice and autonomy.
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Content ArticleThe Accessible Information Standard is a set of principles for the presenting, sharing and discussing information with patients. It aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication support that they need from health and care services.
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Content ArticleThis video is based on research interviews with acute medical patients and examines how staff and patients in hospital can create safe care together. It includes quotes from real-life patient experiences and highlights the importance of listening to and reassuring patients, and involving them in their care.
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Content ArticleBefore a patient undergoes a medical procedure such as surgery, they need to give their consent, having been informed about the details of the procedure and associated risks and benefits. However, in spite of the development of clear guidance on informed consent, many patients still feel nervous or unsure about asking questions and raising concerns during the consent process. Beginning with a personal account that highlights the importance of a thorough and meaningful consent process, this article in The BMJ by Tessa Richards, Associate Editor, examines the issues faced by both doctors and patients in achieving truly personalised informed consent.
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Content ArticleIn this interview Keith Strahan, Clinical Informatics Lead of the Social Care Programme at NHS Digital, explains why 'About me’ information in records is so important. He describes the process of developing the About Me Standard, published by the Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB), alongside family members of people with disabilities and communication difficulties.
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Content ArticleThis video introduces the SingHealth Patient Advocacy Network (SPAN), a patient-led collaborative that encourages patients and caregivers to be actively involved in their care. SPAN is co-chaired by two patients and aims to rethink traditional models of care. The network wants to improve the quality and design of healthcare so that it encompasses the needs and desires of patients and their caregivers.
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EventThis innovative educational initiative from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh was developed as a direct and constructive response to the communication inadequacies exposed by the Montgomery case, and subsequent legislation. While it is not difficult to give ‘more information’ it is harder for surgeons and patients to achieve a decision partnership. The ICONS workshop content has been informed by internationally recognised experts in Shared Decision Making, by consensus among senior practising surgeons, by patients and by professional experts in risk management and risk communication. Delegates on the ICONS workshops will acquire skills and knowledge to implement best practice in sharing the complex decisions surrounding informed consent. By participating in a workshop, they will also contribute to the development of resources for future training in the important area of informed consent. Register
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EventThis innovative educational initiative from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh was developed as a direct and constructive response to the communication inadequacies exposed by the Montgomery case, and subsequent legislation. While it is not difficult to give ‘more information’ it is harder for surgeons and patients to achieve a decision partnership. The ICONS workshop content has been informed by internationally recognised experts in Shared Decision Making, by consensus among senior practising surgeons, by patients and by professional experts in risk management and risk communication. Delegates on the ICONS workshops will acquire skills and knowledge to implement best practice in sharing the complex decisions surrounding informed consent. By participating in a workshop, they will also contribute to the development of resources for future training in the important area of informed consent. Register
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Content ArticleProviding high quality care and treatment for patients coming to the end of their lives is likely to involve making difficult and emotionally challenging decisions. This guidance from the General Medical Council provides a framework to support doctors in meeting the needs of each patient as they come towards the end of their life.
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Content Article
In this blog Patient Safety Learning highlights the key issues included in its recent response to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists new draft guidance for healthcare professionals who are involved in providing outpatient hysteroscopy. -
Content Article
Healthy data e-consultation (2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Data and insight
The Healthy Data e-consultation is a joint initiative run by the Belgian project 'Towards the development of a national health data platform' (AHEAD) and the European initiative 'Towards a European Health Data Space' (TEHDAS). Its aims are: to listen to citizens and patients’ views on health data secondary use and sharing, and on the role that they would like to play in the management and use of their health data. to increase citizen awareness, engagement and empowerment on the topic, so that everyone can develop informed opinions and take an active role in the use of their health data. Anyone can sign up and share their views on the following questions: What should your health data be used for? Under which conditions should your health data be used? How would you like to be informed and involved in the reuse of your health data? What other ideas do you have on health data reuse? -
EventuntilHealthwatch is hosting this event to launch the Your Care, Your Way campaign, which calls for improved accountability and implementation of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). Healthwatch England has joined forces with a coalition of user-led national organisations to highlight how the NHS and social care fail to support people's accessible communication needs. By law, all publicly funded health and social care providers must fully comply with the AIS and ensure people are given information about their health and care in accessible formats. New research by Healthwatch England and partner organisations has shown this is not happening, with many services overlooking people's needs and failing to provide the right support. At this webinar, you will hear: A summary of Healthwatch England's recent research findings on accessible information, drawing on Freedom of Information requests submitted to 200 NHS provider trusts and over 6,000 people's experiences shared with Healthwatch Survey data on staff and public experiences of the AIS from a coalition of user-led charities, including RNIB, SignHealth and RNID, and user-led perspectives on how to improve implementation Information about NHS England's ongoing review of the AIS, developing conclusions from the review, and opportunities to contribute A perspective from an NHS Trust on the barriers to implementing the AIS and overcoming them We welcome questions from the audience and contributions towards the end of the webinar, as well as a discussion about how you and your organisations can get involved in supporting the campaign. This event is for staff working in NHS and social care services, service providers, ICS leaders, voluntary sector and professionals. Register This event is being run by: Urte Macikene, Policy and External Affairs Manager, Healthwatch England. Healthwatch England sits on the Accessible Information Standard Review Programme Board. Malcolm Pearce, Senior Manager, North of England Commissioning Support, Malcolm led the Rapid Review of British Sign Language on behalf of NHS E/I and is currently supporting the review of the Accessible Information Standard Mike Wordingham, Policy and Campaigns Officer, RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) A speaker from an NHS Trust about their experience of implementing the AIS (TBC)
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Content Article
The Health Literacy Place toolkit
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
It is easy to underestimate people’s health literacy needs, because those needs can be hidden or people can be reluctant to admit that they haven’t understood the information they have been given. This toolkit by The Health Literacy Place contains a range of resources to help healthcare professionals better understand and meet the health literacy needs of their patients. -
Content ArticleThis guide by The Eve Appeal and The Survivors Trust gives information about attending cervical screening for survivors of rape, sexual abuse or assault. It offers tips that may help patients feel more comfortable about their appointment. It is part of the #CheckWithMeFirst campaign to help raise awareness of the challenges survivors of rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence may face when accessing cervical screening.
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Content Article
Being fat & pregnant is not a crime (29 January 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Maternity
In this blog for Refinery29, Sadhbh O'Sullivan looks at the issues faced during antenatal care by pregnant women who are overweight. She recounts the perspectives of several pregnant women who felt dehumanised and blamed for their weight during pregnancy. She also highlights issues with the way in which risks are communicated to pregnant women, with overcommunication and overestimation of risk causing anxiety and sometimes making women reluctant to engage with maternity services. She also discusses failures of informed consent, the role of comorbidities and the impact of wider health inequalities. -
Content ArticleThis Prevention of Future Deaths report relates to the death of four patients who all died from endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) related complications, within a six-month period. All four patients had their treatment carried out by the same doctor during his training for this high-risk procedure. In her report, the Coroner Laurinder Bower raises concerns about the systems in place to gain consent and inform patients of the risks of these procedures.
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News Article
Infected blood scandal: ex-pupils and relatives sue Hampshire school
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A group of survivors and relatives of people who died in the infected blood scandal are suing a school where they contracted hepatitis and HIV after being given experimental treatment without informed consent. A proposed group action lodged by Collins Solicitors in the high court on Friday alleges that Treloar College, a boarding school in Hampshire that specialised in teaching haemophiliacs, failed in its duty of care to these pupils in the 1970s and 80s. The claim could result in a payout running into millions of pounds, and is based on new testimony given by former staff at the school to the ongoing infected blood inquiry. Gary Webster, 56, a former pupil who was infected with hepatitis C and HIV after being treated with contaminated blood at the school in the early 80s and gave evidence to the inquiry last year, is the lead claimant of the 22 survivors in the group. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “We were lab rats or guinea pigs. We always thought that we may have been experimented on for research purposes, but we had no proof until the evidence given in the inquiry.” Last year in testimony to the inquiry, the former headteacher of Treloars, Alec Macpherson, confirmed that doctors at the school were “experimenting with the use of factor VIII”, an imported pooled plasma that was later discovered to be contaminated with HIV and hepatitis. He said he and other teaching staff did not question doctors about the trials. He told the inquiry: “We didn’t have any authority or reason to interfere. You can’t – doctors are god, aren’t they?” Macpherson said he consented to the treatment because he trusted the doctors, and he could not recall if parents were informed and consulted. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 January 2022
