Adults as Patients

Abstract

Relatives have always had an ambiguous part to play in admitting their nearest but not necessarily dearest ones to hospital, as legislation since the eighteenth century has recognised. Restrictions on the power of the family to ‘put away’ relatives are demonstrated by the required professional balance on admission to hospital which specifically requires no kin relationship between professionals and family (for details see Hoggett, 1976, pp. 59–70).