Coronavirus (COVID-19) – our advice for doctors
We recognise that this is a very difficult and worrying time for doctors. Our professional standards provide a framework for ethical decision making in a wide range of situations. They should be followed as far as practical in the circumstances. We're regularly updating our advice for doctors as the situation develops.
Learning materials
Here’s a range of learning materials, like flowcharts and case studies, to help put the principles in our ethical guidance into practice.
Index of materials
Confidentiality decision tool
Decision tool
Personal information of patients shouldn't be disclosed unless necessary. This tool can help you decide if things need to be disclosed.
Prescribing for patients overseas
Case study
A case study about a 73 year old retired man, going abroad for three months. He visits his GP to ask for extra prescription of Clopidogrel to make sure he has enough medication whilst he's abroad.
Prescribing without access to patient records
Case study
Dr Hafeez is an independent doctor working for the online provider. He doesn’t have access to Aoife’s medical records and asks for consent to contact her local GP. Aoife says she can’t remember the details for her GP and also has concerns about sharing such personal information with a commercial company.
Suitability of mode of consultation
Case study
Dr Douglas telephones his patient, Mei, at the pre-arranged time. They have not spoken before and he realises she is finding it difficult to hear what he is saying. As a result, Mei is not giving him the information he needs in response to questions about her health.
Good medical practice in action
Case study
Good medical practice in action is a set of interactive scenarios in which you can follow a patient on his or her journey and decide what the doctor should do.
Child protection decision tool
Decision tool
A tool to help identify the steps to take when deciding whether to share information about a child or young person at risk of abuse or neglect.
Confidentiality: disagreement with an occupational health report
Case study
Explore a case study on challenges that could be faced when sharing occupational health reports
Confidentiality: Disclosing medical records after death
Case study
Explore our case study about the decision a doctor has to make when asked to disclose the medical records of a deceased patient to her family.
Mental capacity decision tool
Decision tool
A tool to help identify the steps to take if you’re unsure about a patient’s capacity to make decisions.
Confidentiality: Sharing information with family members
Case study
Read our case study about a doctor's decision on disclosing information to a parent.
Remote prescribing high level principles
Article
High level principles for good practice in remote consultations and prescribing for all healthcare professionals
Information for doctors on Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs)
Question and answer
The government changed the law to allow Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) to be prescribed from 1 November 2018.
Raising concerns: A colleague’s behaviour
Case study
Dr Quinn is a part-time GP and has concerns about the aggressive behaviour of a colleague and effect this is having on patients.
Understanding the new data protection law
News
Five things to know about our Confidentiality guidance and the GDPR
End of life care: Talking about end of life care
Video
A video where doctors, patients and carers talk about the effects and decisions around clinically assisted nutrition and hydration.
Cosmetic interventions: Seeking informed consent when carrying out a cosmetic procedure
Case study
Read our case study about a patient’s consultation, with a patient advisor and a doctor, for breast enlargement surgery
