Disclosure to relatives and friends

Relatives and friends of a patient do not have the right to any information about a patient, even to be told if they are being treated, or the progress of their treatment, without the consent of that patient.

Exceptions to these circumstances exist where the patient is unable to understand, or to give consent to disclosure. In this case, the advice of a senior professional must be sought.

It is recognised that information provided to relatives and carers is critical to the success of continuing care, and disclosure may sometimes be required in the patients best interests. The advice of a senior professional should be sought before information is disclosed in such circumstances.

• ask the patient if they consent to relatives and friends being informed about their care.
• never disclose information such as appointments, test results, diagnoses, etc. to a person unless you are certain that they are the patient in question or have a legitimate right to the information on the patient‚s behalf.
• be especially careful when using the telephone. Unless you can be certain that you are speaking to the patient or that you have their consent to disclose information, only confirm appointments, test results, etc. in writing.