Advice centre

The GMC states that “Whether or not you have vulnerable children or young people as patients, you should consider their needs and welfare and offer them help if you think their rights have been abused or denied.” Surgery consultations, home visits, accident and emergency admissions and contact with other professionals who work with children help to build up a picture of a child’s situation.

Doctors may, on occasion, receive a request from a patient’s employer for a medical report to be delivered directly to the HR department, without the patient seeing it. However, before any medical report can be provided, you must be satisfied that the patient has given valid consent to the release of the information. This factsheet looks at the issues surrounding medical reports for employers and other organisations, and offers advice to doctors who are asked to write reports.

The GMC states that “doctors play a crucial role in protecting children from abuse and neglect”. Child maltreatment includes neglect and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The following frequently asked questions are designed to advise MPS members what to do and who to contact, should they suspect children are at risk of, or are experiencing, harm.

As a doctor, you may be asked to give evidence in many different types of forums including criminal or civil courts, Fatal Accident Inquiries and employment or mental health tribunals. This factsheet gives further information about what to expect and how to prepare.

The role of Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs) is to support and represent a person who lacks capacity in making a specific decision, and who has no-one (other than paid carers) to support them. This factsheet sets out further information about IMCAs and the role they play.

Providing access to medical records is essentially a confidentiality issue; therefore, the starting point is whether or not the patient has consented to disclosure. If not, access should be denied, unless there is some other clear justification for allowing access.

Electronic communication can provide a useful and alternative point of access for patients. However, you should make sure that, if sensitive information needs to be sent electronically, safeguards are in place to avoid breaching patient confidentiality. This factsheet sets out the potential risks of electronic communication.