In 2015 the Supreme Court issued its landmark judgement in the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, profoundly changing the landscape of consent. The new approach is now noticeably patient-centred, and health professionals must learn how to adapt to it. In light of the need for a greater understanding of the changing nature of consent in recent years and how best to accommodate it, EIDO Healthcare has created Educate – A course for healthcare professionals in effective informed consent.
Since the Montgomery ruling, consent-related litigation payouts across NHS Acute Trusts have risen by more than 50%[1], and are likely to rise further unless Trusts make changes to the way that they obtain lawful consent from patients.
With the law moving at such a fast pace, never before has it been so important for clinicians to have a proper understanding of their responsibilities, and to obtain consent to treatment within the appropriate boundaries. But keeping in line with the latest consent issues amongst the pressures of day to day work is, for many health professionals, a difficult task.
e-Learning for Consent
EIDO Educate is a thorough e-Learning course which deals with complex materials in a clear way and with a simple goal: to train health professionals in the medico-legal principles of consent to treatment. The course has been accredited for 10 CPD points by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland.
e-Learning has long been recognised as a flexible and cost-efficient alternative to delivering training in-house, and EIDO Educate is no different. A single annual fee allows unlimited learner registrations, and the course can be accessed by learners anywhere at any time.
Now in its 15th edition, EIDO Educate is in use at over 100 UK hospitals, and has helped thousands of health professionals to learn about this vital area of patient care.
How does EIDO Educate work?
EIDO Educate is split into various modules, and begins by covering the basic foundations of consent in four core modules:
Core Modules
- Consent and the Law
- Consent in Practice
- Capacity and Consent
- Adult End-of-Life Issues
In addition there are four specialist modules, covering areas in which consent law can be particularly complex:
Specialist Modules
- Obstetrics
- Paediatrics
- Accident and Emergency
- Research and Innovative Treatment
The course is founded on problem-based learning, identifying important issues in difficult situations and explaining how they should be tackled. Problem scenarios and self-test questions steer learners towards a full appreciation of informed consent, after which a final assessment tests their knowledge and understanding.
Content Updates
The law concerning consent to treatment is complex, and constantly evolving as new cases are decided by the courts. EIDO Educate is reviewed and updated each year by qualified medico-legal professionals to incorporate the very latest developments in the law, and ensure that health professionals are always up to date.
Delivery and Implementation
The EIDO Educate modules are supplied as Learning Management System (LMS) compatible packages, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into a hospital’s learning systems, and efficiently delivered to learners. The course can also be accessed via a standalone website, requiring learners to self-register.
Further Information
To enquire about licensing EIDO Educate for your organisation, or to view a demonstration of the course, please call us on 0115 878 1000, or email [email protected].
[1] Source: NHS Resolution Freedom of Information requests 3187 and 3513
