Leadership and Supervision Module by Toms

Informed Consent : Definition -

tommagolo2 — 2025-01-06 11:59:08 UTC

Under English common law, all mentally competent adults have an absolute right to give or withhold consent to any medical treatment. This remains so even if withholding consent may seriously jeopardise the person’s health or even result in their death.

Therefore, the treatment of informal (or voluntary) patients in Mental Health Services follows the same principles as in general medicine and elsewhere and should only proceed on the basis of the patient's informed consent.

Informed consent should be taken to mean at a minimum that:

• a competent professional assesses the person as being capable of understanding and decision-making about the treatment in question i.e. having a capacity

• the person has received and understood information about the nature of their condition, the planned effects of treatment, and the possible side effects, the risks of taking or not taking treatment

• the person has voluntarily and without undue pressure or duress, agreed to the treatment in question.

Informed Consent : Importance -

tommagolo2 — 2025-01-06 11:59:52 UTC

Seeking informed consent during sectioning is not just a procedural requirement; it is a fundamental aspect of ethical healthcare that enhances patient care, promotes autonomy, and aligns with best practice guidelines which is crucial for several reasons, particularly in the context of NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and NHS guidelines:

1. Autonomy and Respect:

2. Understanding of Treatment:

3. Legal and Ethical Obligations:

4. Improved Outcomes:

5. Communication and Trust:

6. Individualized Care: NICE guidelines advocate for person-centred care.

(National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013)

Group Members:

tommagolo2 — 2025-01-06 12:07:50 UTC

Lucy. W

Lucy. P

Magda. M

Hellen. W

Tom. M

References:

Braddock III, C.H., Edwards, K.A., Hasenberg, N.M., Laidley, T.L. and Levinson, W. (1999) Informed Decision Making in Outpatient Practice. JAMA [online]. 282 (24), p. 2313. [Accessed 6 January 2025].
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2013) Making Decisions Using NICE Guidelines | NICE Guidelines | NICE Guidance | Our Programmes | What We Do | about | NICE NICE. 2013 [online]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/our-programmes/nice-guidance/nice-guidelines/making-decisions-using-nice-guidelines. [Accessed 6 January 2025].
NHS (2022) Consent to Treatment NHS. 2022 [online]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/. [Accessed 6 January 2025].

Process of obtaining informed consent.

tommagolo2 — 2025-01-06 13:03:46 UTC

Consent has four essential elements -

capacity,
voluntariness,
decision-making and,
knowledge.

Capacity is the ability to understand the nature of treatment and the consequences of them.

Voluntariness is indicated by the willingness to undergo treatment.

Knowledge means that sufficient information has been given to the patients to understand the nature and consequences of the treatment. It involves making the patient and family members aware of their condition, the proposed treatment and its risks and benefits, and the available alternatives and their risks and benefits.

Decision-making means the ability to make decisions. For consent to be legally valid, all the above-mentioned elements should be present.

(Braddock III et al., 1999)