Health encyclopaedia

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Consent to treatment

Patient consent is the principle that anyone has the right to accept or decline all physical interventions – from operations and injections to help with getting dressed.

There is no single statute in English law laying out the rules of patient consent. Legal principles governing this concept have evolved following judgements on individual cases. In addition there are Department of Health guidelines for healthcare professionals, and European laws on human rights. 

It is good practice to get a signed consent form when intervention such as surgery is to be carried out, but in cases where the patient is unable to sign, another manner of communication can be accepted. Consent can sometimes be non-verbal, for example holding out your arm for your blood pressure to be taken.

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