Abstract
An unlawful touching of someone may be an assault. An assault can be a crime or a civil offence or both. Most doctor/patient consultations involve some physical contact, if only the taking of a pulse. To avoid legal proceedings, therefore, the patient’s consent should be obtained before any examination, procedure or treatment. This chapter of advice attempts to summarise relevant law in England and Wales. The applicable statutory provisions in Scotland and in Northern Ireland vary but the general underlying principles are similar.
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© 1991 Springer-Verlag London Limited
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Palmer, R.N. (1991). Consent and Confidentiality. In: Jackson, J.P. (eds) A Practical Guide to Medicine and the Law. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1863-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1863-3_3
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-1865-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1863-3
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