Inadequate informed-consent processes for medical treatment
First to latest report 1 Jul 2014 — 28 Dec 2025
Reports that mention this concern
31
Times this concern has been raised
37
Stated actions linked to this concern
56
What this concern includes
Includes failures of medical-treatment consent processes, including initiation, information about material risks, time for consideration, consistency of procedure, assessment of consent and documentation, where the failure is directly tied to obtaining valid informed consent.
What is not included
Excludes legal-status or detention transfers that do not concern consent to medical treatment.
Excludes general communication, training, documentation or staffing deficiencies unless they are directly tied to the medical-treatment consent process.
Excludes clinical assessment or treatment-selection failures that do not concern obtaining or recording informed consent.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care7
Care Quality Commission2
General Medical Council2
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust2
Royal College of Radiologists2
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust2
Aden Court Care Home1
Ashford and St Peter'S Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust1
Association Of Anaesthetists (Great Britain & Ireland)1
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust1
Barts Health NHS Trust1
Birmingham Women'S and Children'S NHS Foundation Trust1
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust1
British Society For Dermatological Surgery1
Circle Health Group Limited1
NHS trust20
Ministerial department7
Healthcare site5
Health professional body3
Type not available3
Executive non-departmental public body2
Health and care professional regulator2
Health and social care service regulator2
Registered charity2
Executive agency1
Local health board1
Multi-service care provider1
Private limited company1
Residential care home1
Special health authority1
Reports and published responses 31 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
West Yorkshire Eastern
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide adequately informed consent for ascitic tap procedures
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Royal College of Radiologists
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Continue supporting clinicians and patients to assess and discuss ascitic-tap risks and benefits before procedures.
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Review patient-safety leaflets against relevant professional guidance to support informed shared decisions about ascitic-tap care.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
Royal College of Radiologists
The GMC’s comprehensive consent framework provides sufficient current principles for obtaining valid informed consent in radiology.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Royal College of Radiologists
Producing patient information leaflets for individual procedures falls outside the RCR’s role as a professional standards body.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
The Trust cannot definitively quantify ascitic tap risks because specific published evidence is absent, a national or international problem.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Verbal consent remains acceptable for many low-risk procedures because written consent is impracticable in every instance; patient leaflets are not universal.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
West Yorkshire (Eastern)
Concerns raised2
Obtaining consent signatures while patients are under morphine sedation
Failure to identify clinicians involved in consent discussions
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Refresh the consent policy to require documentation of patient-specific increased risks, earlier discussion of death risk, and consideration and documentation of capacity.
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Work with clinical teams to ensure patients’ capacity to consent is considered, taken into account, and properly documented.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Time and resource constraints make listing all staff involved throughout a patient's consent process impracticable.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
West Yorkshire (Western)
Concerns raised1
Inadequate protocols for consent to medical treatment forms
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Hill Care Group
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Hill Care Group
Train nurses and shift leaders on documentation, care plans, wound management, assessments, body maps, consent forms and hospital-return documentation.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Hill Care Group
Existing protocols for wound management and required care documentation are considered sufficient, with compliance monitored through regular audits.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Nottinghamshire
Concerns raised2
Lack of accountability between professionals for consent
Failure to personalise consent
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Implement the redesigned Medway-based ERCP referral pathway with expanded clinical-risk and consent information fields.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Provide inpatient information booklets and obtain consent through ERCP endoscopist ward reviews before procedures.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Amend patient information and consent forms to document operator experience or supervision arrangements and enhanced individual risk.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
The described vetting and consent arrangements are expected to resolve accountability between professionals, so no additional action is identified.
No action considered necessaryThe respondent said that no further action was needed.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Precise individualised risk cannot currently be calculated, limiting the ability to personalise ERCP consent precisely.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Worcestershire
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide informed consent discussions and facilitate maternal wishes regarding mode of delivery
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.5
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Adopt the IDECIDE tool in the maternity information system to support and document informed mode-of-delivery decisions.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Introduce personalised care plans in the BadgerNotes app for discussion, review and professional authorisation.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Provide monthly multidisciplinary maternity training covering human factors, informed consent, Montgomery, balanced counselling and documentation.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Establish and audit a robust process for managing requests for Caesarean Section during labour.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Appoint an Audit and Guidelines Midwife to support Caesarean-request process development and audit.
Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon
Concerns raised1
Inconsistent consenting procedures for identical endoscopy treatment
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Move toward procedure-specific consent information and engage external providers to support standardised information for each procedure.
West Yorkshire (west)
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide adequate preoperative discussion and explanation before consent
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
South Wales Central
Concerns raised1
Misleading emphasis on flu-like symptoms in TRUS elective surgery consent and information provision
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Local Health Board
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Local Health Board
Standardize sepsis terminology and remove “rarely” from the TRUS biopsy consent form.
West Yorkshire (East)
Concerns raised1
Failure to obtain informed consent for BBL procedures
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
General Medical Council
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
General Medical Council
Publish revised consent guidance with tailored specialty materials emphasising time for patients to consider treatment information.
Manchester City
Concerns raised1
Failure to communicate donor kidney CMV status to the transplant recipient for informed consent
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Strengthen transplant consent by specifically discussing and documenting donor-recipient CMV risks before transplantation.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.