Today FSRH publishes its reviewed Service Standards on Obtaining Valid Consent in SRH Services

The modernised Service Standards on Obtaining Valid Consent in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Services include essential updates for healthcare professionals working for and commissioning SRH services. Updates focus on explaining risk to patients, advice and consent for multimedia and education purposes. They also reference a timely potential change in relationship with the European Court of Human Rights at the time of Brexit.

The Standards cover a range of essential areas, which include:

• training in seeking and obtaining valid consent
• the treatment of children and young people
• the treatment of adults who lack capacity
• who should seek consent and when to obtain consent

Attention is also given to consent policies, processes of obtaining consent and methods of recording.

The launch coincides with the Family Planning Association’s (FPA) Sexual Health Week, whose theme this year is “Consent: Yes, yes, yes!”. This year’s Sexual Health Week is looking at what young people understand about consent, how consent can be negotiated and consent in healthcare settings.

Helen Munro, Chair of the FSRH Clinical Standards Committee said:

“Consent is a person’s agreement for a healthcare professional to provide care and must be obtained by all healthcare professionals before starting treatment, physical investigation or providing personal care.

It is essential that patients have their right to consent met, and that healthcare professionals are equipped with high quality and reliable guidance to ensure they can obtain consent through the most efficient, valid and considerate process. This will ensure high quality care for both patient and professional.

The Clinical Standards Committee of FSRH has developed the Standards, like all of our Standards, as a support tool for all those working and commissioning Sexual and Reproductive Health services, and I hope colleagues will find them useful in their day to day practice.”

Download the FSRH Standards on obtaining valid consent in SRH Services below.