Richard Griffith

Consultation before ‘do not attempt resuscitation’ orders

In R(Burke) v GMC [2005], the Court of Appeal held that, once a patient is accepted by the hospital trust, nurses come under a positive duty to care for the individual. A fundamental aspect of this...

Should there be compulsory childhood immunisation?

The Health Secretary has recently suggested that the government would not rule out compulsory vaccinations in England to overcome the public health risk caused by lowered immunisation rates (Mohdin,...

Advance decisions to refuse treatment

The Law Commission (1995) defined an ADRT as:.

Attending a best interests meeting

Nurses may be required to make decisions or act on behalf of a person who lacks capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The person making the decision is referred to in the code of practice as a...

Electronic records, confidentiality and data security: the nurse's responsibility

Registered nurses have a professional duty to maintain a patient's confidence and to maintain data security by collecting, treating and storing all data appropriately (Nursing and Midwifery Council...

Lawfully admitting a person who lacks decision-making capacity to hospital

A nurse acting in the best interests of an incapable adult would not incur liability for arranging the admission of that person to hospital for care and treatment, even where they appeared to object...

Warning patients of treatment risks

Using community treatment orders: key provisions

Testing of a detained patient's rehabilitation was traditionally undertaken using the extended leave provisions of section 17 of the Mental Health Act 1983. These provisions allow a responsible...