Medico-Legal Room
In this room you can find updates and resources on medicolegal topics.
Consent and Capacity and the legal framework for COVID-19 vaccine
While speed and efficiency of the COVID-19 vaccines rollout are crucial to help save lives and protect the NHS, the issue of consent and capacity becomes of central importance. In this article, Sue Inker, lawyer and subject matter expert, considers the legal framework for healthcare professionals.
Capacity and COVID
With the care sector having seen a high rate of infections during the Covid pandemic, it is recognised that infections in these settings have contributed to the death rate seen in the UK. Many care homes are now able to swab their residents when required but this does pose some issues especially where capacity and consent is concerned. For example, patients who may lack capacity and be unwilling to allow care staff to take the swab. Clearly taking a swab can be a challenge for patients to understand especially those with underlying diagnoses that cause them to be confused. I wonder if other clinicians have been asked to provide remote assessments of capacity in situations like this and how staff are dealing with patients who lack capacity but are unwilling to allow tests like swab testing to be carried out.Post your comments and experiences below..