Abstract
The way in which clients with a learning disability are cared for has changed. In recent years, there has been a growing shift towards recognizing their right to make use of, and have access to, general health services such as primary care and acute district hospitals. Nurses working in these services are expected to provide care using a partnership approach that promotes choice and involvement in decision-making. This approach is more difficult, however, when seeking consent from clients with learning disability. Therefore nurses require an up-to-date understanding of the law and ethics of consent. This paper provides an overview of how English law applies to the partnership approach to seeking consent from learning disabled adult clients. Relevant principles on seeking consent set down in the new Mental Capacity Act 2005, which applies to incapacitated adults, will also be considered.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 126-131 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2005 |