Selected highlights from draft GMC consent guidance Part 1

[holyshedballs]

Principles

"Support patient decision making

Help patients make choices and decisions about their own health and care. Give them the information that is relevant to them, in a way they understand. Think about whether there is anything you can do to make it easier for them to consider the options and come to a decision. "

A good start but does not acknowledge that patients often have more knowledge about their condition than the doctor does via resources such as Thyroid UK.

"Involve your patient as much as possible in discussions and decisions about their care, even where they cannot make a decision

Give weight to their values, wishes and preferences even though it may not always be appropriate to do as they ask."

Again, agood start but does not emphasise patient knowledge.

[serenfach]

A good start as you say, but when you find yourself telling the GP that their knowledge is out of date, you have read up on it, and would like to move forward in a particular way, and you are dismissed out of hand.

[holyshedballs in reply to serenfach]

It is this attitude that the guidance seeks to address

That is why it is in the guidance

As the GMC said itself, failure to follow the guidance can affect a doctors registration

Patients need to realise just how powerful the Montgomery case and the GMC guidance really is and use it to their advantage

In order to facilitate change patients need to know about the guidance make sure doctors follow it and take corrective action when they don’t

The Supreme Court has given us a powerful tool

The GMC has seen that and provided us with another tool

We have to learn to use these tools and not give up at the first hurdle