Certain circumstances can mean you are obliged to disclose information about a patient, even if you do not have their consent; under other circumstances, disclosure may be justifiable. This factsheet gives you further information about these circumstances.

An important starting point is your written report on the circumstances of the incident. This factsheet gives more information about writing this report.

One incident can be investigated in a number of different ways – as a complaint, a clinical negligence claim, a criminal case, a disciplinary matter by your employer, a Coroner’s inquest or a complaint to the GMC.

Good medical records – whether electronic or handwritten – are essential for the continuity of care of your patients. Adequate medical records enable you or somebody else to reconstruct the essential parts of each patient contact without reference to memory. They should therefore be comprehensive enough to allow a colleague to carry on where you left off.

Needlestick injuries can be classified as any piercing wound caused by a hypodermic needle, or by other sharp instruments or objects such as scalpels, mounted needles, broken glassware, etc. This factsheet sets out the main concerns for healthcare professionals and what to do when needlestick injuries happen.

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.

One incident can be investigated in a number of different ways – as a complaint, a clinical negligence claim, a criminal case, a disciplinary matter by your employer, a Procurator Fiscal’s FAI or a complaint to the GMC. An important starting point is your written report on the circumstances of the incident. This factsheet gives more information about writing this report.