Advice centre

When treating a patient who has reached the end of life, clear communication and collective decision-making are as important as any clinical intervention, says Sarah Whitehouse

Last year a French psychiatrist was charged with manslaughter after failing to recognise the danger posed by her patient. Sara Williams investigates how to balance the interests of risky patients and the public

Dr Peter Mackenzie, Head of Membership Governance at MPS, looks at the reasons why claims in a range of surgical specialties are settled

Unemployment reduces wellbeing. Recession raises the demands on healthcare systems and makes it harder to pay for them. Doctors worldwide are having to adapt and change to cope with these additional pressures, says Sarah Whitehouse

Complaints to the regulator against doctors have hit a record high, rising more sharply than for any other health professional. Is this down to poor practice or a changing complaints culture? Sara Williams investigates

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of a successful doctor–patient relationship. Indeed the word “confidence” derives from the Latin con “with” and fidere “to trust”. The GMC is clear that doctors who break a patient’s confidence undermine trust in the medical profession and they will be dealt with very seriously.

Consent is a fundamental principle of medical law. The basic rule is simple: no-one has the right to touch anyone else without lawful excuse and if doctors do so it may well undermine patients’ trust.

I wake up bolt upright at 5.30am. I look in the mirror and realise I’ve inadvertently left my false eyelashes on from the previous day’s telly. They hang rather precariously from my upper lids – my mascara is half way down my cheeks and my hair is doing a good impersonation of Jedward. My husband rolls over and states that I look like a drag queen and promptly falls back to sleep.

All doctors know that maintaining confidentiality is an important part of building up trust with patients. Here, Dr Stephanie Bown examines the medicolegal aspects of confidentiality