New Guidelines For Doctor/Patient Relationships

In early April, the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (“CHRE”), a government body that oversees the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and several other healthcare regulators, published a draft report entitled “Clear Sexual Boundaries between Healthcare Professionals and Patients”.

The report contains a number of proposals which will affect all healthcare professionals. The Nursing Standard magazine states that the proposals are the first of their kind and are expected to go before ministers for approval in June 2007.

The guidance lists unacceptable behaviour and is proposed to apply to nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. The guidelines will result in a banded relationship between the professionals and former patients as part of efforts to govern sexual relationships in the medical arena and to protect patients.

The guidelines are in response to a series of cases involving healthcare professionals sexually abusing patients and include the Kerr-Haslam inquiry into the sexual abuse of patients by two psychiatrists in Yorkshire which was reported in July 2006.

The guidelines list the behaviour to be considered unacceptable. It advises clinicians to maintain clear sexual boundaries with patients and notes that all incidents of sexual contact between patients and clinicians will be dealt with on an individual basis. The guidance advises doctors and nurses who suspect their colleagues of acting inappropriately to report the matter to their employer and regulatory body.

The General Medical Council and the Nursing Midwifery Council already have guidelines in place that demand ethical behaviour from health workers both on and off duty. Indeed the General Medical Council published an updated code of conduct in October 2006 highlighting an increased standard of moral behaviour. This stated that should they form sexual relationships with former patients or look at pornography then their right to practise is in jeopardy. The contents of the guidelines appear to confirm a common sense approach and it would seem as if they will be approved by ministers and be incorporated into the Regulations. This will therefore mean a further set of guidelines and rules for health professionals to adhere to.

Published 26/04/2007.