Know what to expect

Getting your consent

The doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate who will carry out your procedure must speak to you and get your consent for it to go ahead. They must not delegate this responsibility to other staff, because only the doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate who will carry out the procedure knows what they can achieve in your specific circumstances.

Giving your consent to a procedure is more than just signing a form. You must have enough information about the procedure, including any anaesthetic required, to be able to give your consent to it. This must include a discussion about the risks and benefits and the likely outcome of your treatment.

Your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must listen to you and answer any questions that you may have about the procedure. If there is anything you don’t understand, you can always ask them to explain it again.

Your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must also give you enough time to reflect on the pros and cons of having the procedure and to decide whether you want to go ahead.

The amount of information and time will vary from procedure to procedure and person to person – what’s important is that you have all the information you need, and enough time to consider it, so you can make your decision.

Your right to change your mind

Even once you have decided to go ahead with a procedure, you can change your mind at any stage. Your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must tell you this and explain what the practical and financial implications will be if you decide not to go ahead.

Considering the overall benefits to you

Even if you are sure you want a procedure, your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must reach their own view about whether it will be of overall benefit to you. They will take your wishes and preferences into account, they are not under any legal or professional duty to provide the procedure if they don’t think it is appropriate.

If they decide not to provide the procedure, they should explain why and discuss other available options, including your right to a second opinion.

Your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must consider your psychological needs and refer you to an experienced colleague if the care you need is outside their expertise. Similarly, if they feel they can’t safely carry out the procedure for any reason, they must refer you to another practitioner.

Conflicts of interests

Your doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate must tell you if they have any financial or commercial interests in the procedure you’re considering, or in the clinic where you’d have it, so you can decide whether those interests could influence the advice they give you. For example, a doctor, physician associate or anaesthesia associate might own the rights to a procedure, or their family member may get a share of the profits from a clinic.

Injectable prescription-only cosmetic procedures

Your doctor must not prescribe injectable cosmetic medicines (such as Botox®, Dysport® or Vistabel®) by phone, video-link or online.