Doctors will have to notify the police in future if they treat a patient who’s a victim of gun or knife crime.
New GMC guidance, which comes into force later this month, explicitly states that doctors should report all gunshot wounds and knife crime for both children and adults despite the potential breach of patient confidentiality.
Firstly, doctors must inform the police quickly of any incidents of wounds resulting from a gunshot or blade. And, secondly, they must make a professional judgement about whether disclosure of personal information about a patient is justified, such as when there is a risk to patients, staff or the public.
Doctors should ask patients whether they are prepared to talk to the police and to explain the potential consequences of not doing so. However, while doctors must respect a patient’s decision, if it is probable a serious crime has been committed, or others are at risk, doctors may now disclose the patient’s identity and other confidential information to the police.
Dr Henrietta Campbell, former CMO in Northern Ireland, who chaired the GMC’s working group on confidentiality, said: “We are not asking doctors to force patients to speak to the police but we are asking them to pass on information which will help the police to help protect patients, the public and staff from risks of serious harm.”
Responding to the GMC’s guidance, the chairman of the BMA’s medical ethics committee, Dr Tony Calland, said: “Doctors are very willing to cooperate with the police to help tackle gun and knife crime and we support the GMC guidance on the reporting of these events. We are pleased, however, that the GMC has indicated that doctors should use their professional judgement in deciding whether to disclose of the identity of patients involved in suspected knife and gunshot attacks.
“Ultimately confidentiality is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship and it should only be breached in the rare circumstances where it is clearly in the public interest to do so.”
Mr Tunji Lasoye, emergency consultant at Kings College Hospital, who has treated many patients for gunshot and knife wounds, said: “It is so important for doctors to play their part in the protection of the public and the monitoring of violent crime. One way of doing this is to share appropriate information with agencies in ways that don’t breach patient confidentiality, whenever possible.”
Other areas covered in the guidance also include reporting concerns about patients to the DVLA, when, due to ill health, a patient might be unfit to drive; responding to criticism in the press, which may involve inaccurate or misleading details of doctors’ diagnosis, treatment or behaviour; and disclosing information for insurance, employment and benefit claims.
Confidentiality was produced following a three-month consultation period and takes effect on 12 October. Read the full guidance.
Tags: Confidentiality, GMC
