NHS plan to let children talk to doctor alone
Guidance would allow young people opportunity to consult doctors without their parents knowing
‘Young people are more likely to look for health advice online so it’s important they are advised’
CHILDREN should be allowed to speak to doctors without a parent present, under new NHS guidance.
The draft rule change from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) also states that under17s should have the right to receive calls, texts and letters directly from clinicians and without parental oversight. However, staff should agree with children and young people if some information should be shared with parents, such as symptoms to look out for or post-treatment care, it adds.
The proposed change is intended to involve children more in decisions concerning their care and to improve their decision-making confidence.
The Nice document, which has been developed with children and young people, urges staff to “give all children and young people opportunities to express their opinions about their health needs independently”.
Parents and carers should be helped to talk to their child about how they will be involved in decisions about their healthcare, and this might include the “parent or carer reassuring their child or young person that they can have part or all of an appointment without them being present if they prefer”.
The document urges healthcare workers not to assume that “certain groups of children or young people will not want or will not be able to advocate for themselves”.
The current NHS consent guide for parents states that once children reach the age of 16, they can agree to examination or treatment just like adults.
It adds that “children under 16 may still be able to give consent for themselves, provided they are mature enough to understand fully what is involved”. The new Nice guideline says poor experiences in dealing with the NHS may lead some children to suffer anxiety and experience worse health outcomes.
It also recommends that young people and their carers should be warned that some medical information available online may be inaccurate.
Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the centre for guidelines at Nice, said: “We know that young people are more likely to look for health advice online or on social media so it’s important they are advised which sources are reliable and trustworthy. Younger patients have historically been seen as more passive recipients of healthcare than adults, but supporting them to truly understand their condition and treatment can help them to feel more confident engaging with healthcare staff.
“We’re very pleased that this draft guideline has been developed with input from children and young people, and hope that it will provide healthcare staff with clear guidance on how to engage effectively with younger patients.” Catherine White, chairman of the guideline committee, added: “By placing babies, children and young people at the heart of their healthcare, we can improve not only their experience of the healthcare system but also their health outcomes.
“An important way to do this is by finding ways to communicate with children and young people in a way that is engaging and understandable.”
Dr Chrisp added: “We recognise that some of these recommendations, such as allowing children and young people longer to speak to professionals, could present challenges for some time to come during the pandemic but is something that we should aim to do.”