Can you film patients without telling them?

Mobile phone technology has made it easier than ever to record and photograph patients.

We have updated our guidance on Making and using visual and audio recordings of patients setting out how the principles of consent and confidentiality apply to everything from giving a presentation to colleagues to taking part in broadcast programmes.

The guidance makes the obvious but the important point that you must seek consent from your patients before recording them. It also clarifies that you must not make recordings of patients who lack capacity to give consent unless it is in their best interests or of benefit to them, in line with mental capacity legislation.

Dr Laxmi Kathuria is in her third year of psychiatry specialist training. This year, she has been working on a television series focusing on body image:

‘Before filming began, I made a conscious decision to read and fully understand the GMC’s guidance on making recordings,’ she said. ‘It served as a pertinent reminder that I am primarily a professional working under a code of practice and have a duty of care for each patient being filmed.’

You can read Making and using visual and audio recordings of patients, and the related guidance Confidentiality and Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together on our guidance web pages.