COVID-19 has resulted in a colossal backlog of cancelled elective surgery across the UK, but the signs are that this surgery is now beginning to recommence.

It goes without saying that obtaining informed consent from patients safely, efficiently and at the right time will be crucial. But how can clinicians do this whilst at the same time minimising face-to-face contact with their patients?

Informed consent has traditionally always been a paper-heavy process. In addition to the hard copy leaflets that patients are often given to explain their surgery, the administrative consent form itself is usually triplicated, unwieldy and prone to getting lost amid a mountain of other paperwork.

It is difficult to take any positives from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rapid uptake of digital solutions across the healthcare sector must surely be one of them. Now, more than ever before, clinicians and patients are beginning to see the value and efficiencies that digital tools can deliver to common patient pathways.

This is especially true of informed consent. Allowing patients to engage remotely with consent information, and even complete a draft consent form prior to admission, offers clear benefits over a paper-based pathway. Not only would such a solution align more closely with the current digital healthcare agenda, but also result in a more robust, auditable and legally-defensible consent process.

Join us for ‘Safer consenting in the Covid-19 world and beyond’, a webinar presented by Browne Jacobson. Members of the Browne Jacobson health team will explore the role of digital and online tools in the context of consent and, in particular, how such resources can be used to help inform and educate patients about their medical condition and treatment options remotely and prior to a face to face consultation and/or procedure, saving valuable clinical time.

The webinar will be chaired by Browne Jacobson Partner Damian Whitlam, alongside Ed Pollard, Senior Associate and Amelia Newbold, Risk Management Lead. They will be joined by a panel of experts; Tim Shurlock, Safety and Learning Lead at NHS Resolution, Simon Parsons, Divisional Director of Surgery, Upper GI Consultant Surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Clinical Director at EIDO Healthcare, as well as Matthew Ravenscroft at EIDO Healthcare.

Webinar details:
Title: Safer consenting in the Covid-19 world and beyond
Date: 11 June 2020
Time: 5pm BST

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