Standards for your care
Standards for your care
The core guidance on the professional standards, Good medical practice, sets out the standards expected of all doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates. These include the principles of good care and how they can build an effective partnership with you.
The guidance is clear that doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates must:
- treat you fairly, without discrimination
- work with you to reach decisions about your treatment and care that are right for you
- respect your confidentiality and protect your personal information from improper disclosure.
They must not:
- deny you access to appropriate treatment or services because of their personal beliefs (eg about your sexual orientation, gender identity or trans status)
- express their personal beliefs, including political, religious and moral beliefs, in a way that is likely to cause you distress.
Doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates may need to ask you about your sexual orientation, gender identity or trans status so they can offer you treatment and care specific to your needs. They should communicate with you in a non-judgmental way. They should also be able to tell you how information about you will be used and stored.
The gender status or history of trans and non-binary people should be treated with the same level of confidentiality as any other sensitive personal information. The Gender Recognition Act 2004 gives trans people a legal right to privacy of their trans status. See our Trans healthcare pages.
