April/May 2017 (vol. 13/6)

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Explicit Consent

Summary:

The GMC’s new supplementary guidance on disclosing patient information to employers or insurers could have been more explicit on the consent process.

THE General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) new guidance on Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information1 (this issue pp.4–5, pp. 18–20 and pp.21–24) 1 states that doctors must: ‘Ask for explicit consent to disclose identifiable information about patients for purposes other than their care or local clinical audit, unless the disclosure is required by law or can be justified in the public interest.’ With such a clear overriding principle, it’s disappointing that its advice on the release of reports to employers and insurers isn’t spelt out in plain English…

John Ballard, editor

Author: Ballard, J

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Occupational Health at Work April/May 2017 (vol. 13/6) pp03

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