Consent & confidentiality
Confidentiality is often cited as a reason for not seeking to involve carers in conversations and decisions about the patient’s health and care. It is important to remember that, even where the patient has not provided consent, their carer can still be provided with general information not linked to the patient and staff can still listen to worries or queries the carer may have.
Click on the following scenarios to find out more:
Patient HAS consented
to their carer being involved
If the patient has provided informed consent for their carer to be included in decisions about their health and care, then:
- Carers should be included in all best interest decisions
- The carer’s details should be recorded on the patient’s record
- Staff should avoid assuming that the patients next of kin and their unpaid carer will automatically be the same person
- Providing the patient’s wishes remain central, carers should be included in the patient’s future care planning
Patient HAS NOT consented
to their carer being involved:
Where the patient has not consented to their carer being included in decisions about their health and care, the carer can still be supported in their own right. In this case:
- Practitioners can still take the time to listen to concerns the carer may have without breaching patient confidentiality
- Record the carer’s status as a carer on their own medical record (if they consent to this)
- Provide the carer with generalised information not linked to the patient
In either case:
Regardless of whether or not the patient has consented to their carer being involved, carers still have their own rights to access health and support.
As such, carers should still be informed about and offered the following:
- Offered a referral or signposted to their local carers support charity
- The hospital’s commitment to unpaid carers and what they can expect
- Encouraged to register a Carer’s Contingency Plan
- Informed about their right to a Carer’s Assessment
