MOD F TECH 40 The Law and Ambulance Staff Flashcards
Duty of Care
It is the duty and responsibility of every health care professional to exercise all reasonable care in the management of their patients
One of the major requirements of professionalism is the need to perform consistently to a high standard, despite the mood of the moment or the nature of the job
Duty of Care to the patient
The duty of care to a patient exists from
the moment a patient is accepted for
treatment or a task or role is accepted and the patient begins to receive services.
How is negligence proven?
•Duty of care, This is taken for granted when you treat a patient.
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•Duty of care breached.
–The Bolam test (applied to examine the actions of someone in same profession)
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•Must be shown that there was a causal link between the breach in duty and harm
Duty of Care
Be aware of the danger of exceeding the scope of your training.
Confidentiality
•Ensuring patient confidentiality is a fundamental requirement of all health care employees
•
- You will be exposed to information about patients that is confidential
- You must maintain this confidentiality by giving information only to people entitled to receive it
Remember
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§Regard all information as confidential
§Be especially careful with the security of written records
§Beware of careless talk, as people can often overhear information
All these points will minimise the risk of breaching confidentiality
Personal Property
When personal possessions come into your care:
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§Ask colleagues to help record items
§Always take care to keep them safely
§Only pass belongings on to people who are authorised to have them
§Ensure a signature is obtained when handing over property
In what situations might you have to search a patient for identification?
What other than ID may you need to search for?
- SOS Talisman / Medi-alerts
- Medication
Can you think of any others?
What precautions need to be taken?
- Consent
- Witness
- Sharps or dangerous objects
- Aggressive / combative
- Appropriate PPE
Dying Declaration
A dying declaration is a statement given to you by a patient who believes they are about to die and should be passed on either in writing or verbally
May be relevant to:
§Cause of death
§Circumstances of their death
§Personal wishes at time of death, possibly concerning property or their feelings
•It may be used in a court of law as evidence if the patients death is connected with a charge of murder or manslaughter
•
•Remember – if you consider that there may be legal implications, immediately record what was said and if you have a witness obtain their signature
Forcible Entry with Good Intent
EMAS responders may arrive at the scene of an incident and determine that forced entry into a property is required in order to locate and / or treat the casualty.
If a patient can be seen within a secured property and clearly requires medical attention, then EMAS staff can force entry to assess and treat them and should not request police support .
If the Ambulance crew do not have equipment available to facilitate this, they can request Police assistance and this will be provided. (NB: Legal advice pending to identify which agency might be considered liable for any boarding-up / repair costs or ongoing security)
Similarly, EMAS staff has the power to enter insecure premises to search for a patient who is thought to be present at the scene. In such circumstances, EMAS staff must check whether they are able to gain access prior to making contact with the police.
In all circumstances, attending emergency personnel must make reasonable attempts to identify the actual location of the patient’s whereabouts e.g. make contact with a neighbour or warden in a warden controlled complex. This should include enquiries with local hospitals. If enquiries prove negative, the Police will where appropriate force entry using available powers.
