Your consent

We will ask for your consent before you have any treatment, test, examination, or take part in research.

You will be asked to either:

• say "yes" or "no" to treatment
• sign a consent form: we use an app called Concentric to help you give consent easily online.

Before you give your consent, the person caring for you will:

1. explain what will happen during the procedure or test
2. tell you about the benefits, risks, and any alternatives procedures or tests, if available.

Please take the time to ask us anything about the test or procedure.

Your consent must be:

1. voluntary – the decision should be yours, and you shouldn’t feel pressure from your friends, family, or your clinician
2. informed – you need to have all the information before you can decide to go ahead (or not go ahead) with the treatment or test.

You also need to have the ability to use and understand information to make a decision. This is known as having capacity.

If you cannot give consent, we will speak to your lasting power of attorney, next of kin, or an advocate.

After you’ve discussed your treatment with your clinician, you can sign your consent form straightaway. We use an app called Concentric to record your decision.

You can also sign your consent form later if you would like to first speak to your friends and family about your care.

And if you forget to sign your form at home, you can still consent before your treatment starts.

Not all procedures require a signed consent form: you may be asked to consent to treatment by saying “yes” or “no”.

We will respect your decision if you do not consent to care or treatment. You are free to say no, and you can change your mind at any time.

However, sometimes we don’t need your consent to treat you, for example:

• in an emergency and the treatment is in your best interest
• if you have a severe mental health illness
• if your condition is a risk to public health
• if you’re severely ill and living in unhygienic condition.

Children can consent to their own treatment if they understand what’s happening. This is known as being Gillick competent.

We may ask you to give consent on behalf of your child. However, your decision may be overruled by the courts if we think treatment is in your child’s best interest.