Annex A > Chapter 17 - Communication Between Healthcare Professionals and Patients > The role of junior staff

The role of junior staff

71 Mr Dhasmana stated that:

`Traditionally the junior doctors used to get parents to sign the consent form soon after admission in the ward as a part of their clerking procedure in routine cases. I used to talk to junior doctors on the pathology and reparative techniques along with the risks involved during the ward rounds. Therefore most of junior doctors would have been aware of common routine conditions like ASD, VSD and Tetralogy, after they have spent few weeks in the cardiac unit. They also knew that parents have already talked to me in the clinic and have agreed for their child to have surgery. The new SHOs [senior house officers] were not supposed to get consent signed on their own. There were always few experienced doctors available in the unit to help the new SHO. In addition I always advised junior doctors in the unit, not to get consent signed if for some reason, I had not seen and talked to parents before or if they had questions regarding any aspect of surgery... I used to see parents in the ward before surgery and then have another discussion later on. I would get the consent signed at the end of this meeting, if it was not signed before. There was some change in the ward policy, around 1993 or 1994 when SHOs were asked not to get consent signed, but to leave it to the experienced Registrars or Consultants. In emergency situations I would get the consent signed after my meeting with parents in the ward.' [91]

72 In July 1993 Professor John Vann Jones wrote a letter to Mr Wisheart with a copy to Mr Dhasmana, stating:

`My junior colleagues have complained to me today that they feel unhappy about consenting people for cardiac surgery and for writing up their pre-med. The reason for this is they are distinctly unfamiliar with cardiac surgery and when it comes to consenting the patient they do not really know the procedures they are prescribing ... they do feel that someone who is familiar with what the patient is about to undertake should be doing the consenting ...' [92]

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Footnotes

[91] WIT 0084 0123 - 0124 Mr Dhasmana

[92] UBHT 0344 0013; letter from Professor Vann Jones to Mr Wisheart dated 5 July 1993