Legal aspects of dying and the community nurse

Dying is an inevitable part of life; the dying process has for many years been a medicalised process, and to a greater extent, the law has been shaped by the medical approach to death and dying. To...

Legal duty of care and the community nurse

Important legal principles of consent and mental capacity

The right to consent to (and refuse) treatment is a fundamental right that has been established in law for a significant period of time (Jackson, 2022). In the UK, the case of Chatterton v Gerson...

The law in relation to safeguarding and the community nurse

Safeguarding is an important consideration for all nurses, especially community nurses who are best placed to identify safeguarding risks while visiting patients at home. The first key principle in...

Deprivation of liberty and the community nurse

As part of their caseloads, community nurses are likely to have patients who are resident in care and nursing homes, and the nurse will be in contact with patients who are either explicitly or...

The law and professional considerations of confidentiality

Confidentiality of personal information has been an important pillar of UK law for a significant time. One of the first legal examples which emphasised the importance of confidentiality was the case...

Respecting patient autonomy: legal and professional considerations

In this month's Policy column, Iwan Dowie explores patient autonomy – a concept largely embedded within the community nursing setting. Through legal cases, a history of laws relating to patient...