Consent

NHS Lothian has a Consent Policy & Guidance Document. This document sets out the standards for NHS Lothian and this along with the available full guidance document will support staff enabling them to comply with current requirements/legislation. NHS Lothian accepts that patients have a fundamental right to:

1) Receive sufficient verbal and written information to enable an informed decision to be made.

2) Grant or withhold consent prior to any examination or treatment.

3) Withdraw consent at any stage up to and during the procedure without prejudice to further treatment.

Healthcare professionals must seek explicit written consent for:

_ procedures that carry significant risk

_ procedures that could be considered new

_ procedures/treatment that are part of a project or programme of research approved by NHS Lothian or there are implications for third parties, e.g. in relation to genetic studies or HIV testing. Valid consent to treatment is absolutely central in all forms of healthcare. Patients must be informed about risks, benefits and consequences of proposed treatment. Consent forms are evidence of a process not the process itself Consent is the voluntary and continuing permission of a patient to receive a treatment or undergo a particular procedure.