Consent to treatment
Consent to treatment is the principle that a person must give permission before they receive any type of medical treatment, test or examination. This must be done on the basis of an explanation by a clinician.
All adults are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise.
People aged 16 or over are entitled to consent to their own treatment, and this can only be overruled in exceptional circumstances.