Reference/Features

Parental consent – can anyone else give it?

5 mins read Consent
Difficulties can arise if a child is brought to the surgery without one or both of their parents. Andrew Collier looks at this dilemma and suggests some solutions

Case study

An appointment was made for a new child patient aged eight, by their mother, over the telephone. The dental nurse who took the call assumed that the mother or father (or both) would accompany the child to that first appointment. However, the patient was accompanied only by her child minder who explained that the mother was at work but had said she (the childminder) could ‘sign and agree’ to whatever treatment was needed. The dentist was concerned about taking a medical history, and then obtaining consent to examine from the childminder and not the parent. Treatment was therefore postponed and the child minder requested to ask the mother, or father, to attend with the child.

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