Advice centre

Valid consent is just as important when treating children and young people as it is with adults. In some situations children are able to give consent themselves, and sometimes others need to take the decision on their behalf. This factsheet sets out the basic information to enable you to obtain the appropriate consent from children and young people.

Mrs G, 34, presented to the delivery suite at 12pm, 38 weeks into her first pregnancy. Her antenatal care had been uneventful apart from measuring slightly “large for dates”. She was found to have a longitudinal lie with a cephalic presentation, and was experiencing three contractions every ten minutes. The midwife examined her and found her to be 2cm dilated with a fully effaced cervix and “intact membranes”.

A baby was born by caesarean section at 27 weeks gestation with a birth weight of 980grams. The baby was intubated, ventilated and endotracheal surfactant was administered.

Complaints in health and social care: standards and guidelines for resolution and learning (2009) aims to provide a simple, consistent approach for staff who handle complaints, and for patients who raise complaints across all health and social care services.