Clinical Ethics Consultation in the United Kingdom

Article Sidebar

PDF (Język Polski) PDF
Published: Dec 1, 2009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.22.2009.364

Main Article Content

Sheila A.M. McLean

Abstract

The system of clinical ethics committees (CECs) in the United Kingdom is based on goodwill. No formal requirements exist as to constitution, membership, range of expertise or the status of their recommendations. Healthcare professionals are not obliged to use CECs where they exist, nor to follow any advice received. In addition, the make-up of CECs suggests that ethics itself may be under-represented. In most cases, there is one member with a training in ethics – the rest are healthcare professionals or administrators, although a lawyer is generally also included in the membership. This begs the question as whether CECs can ‘do ethics’, as well whether or not they can take seriously the requirements of due process, formal justice and human rights. Moreover, the role of the patient in this system is opaque.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
McLean, Sheila A.M. 2009. “Clinical Ethics Consultation in the United Kingdom”. Diametros, no. 22 (December):76-89. https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.22.2009.364.
Issue
No. 22 (2009)
Section
Special topic - Clinical Ethics Committees

By submitting his/her work to the Editorial Board, the author accepts, upon having his/her text recommended for publication, that Diametros applies the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license to the works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees. Anyone may read, download, copy, print, distribute or reuse these articles without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, as long as the author and original source are properly cited. The author holds the copyright without any other restrictions. Full information about CC-BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

Author Biography

Sheila A.M. McLean

Sheila A.M. McLean, LLB., MLitt, PhD, LLD, LLD, FRSE, FRCGP, FMedSci, FBS, FRCP(Edin), FRSA Professor McLean is the first holder of the International Bar Association Chair of Law and Ethics in medicine at Glasgow University. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Applied Ethics and Legal Philosophy (incorporating the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine) at Glasgow University. She has acted as a consultant to the World Health Organisation, The Council of Europe and a number of individual states, and is a member of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO. She has published extensively in the area of medical law and ethics.
Share |
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

Agich, Youngner [1991] – G.J. Agich, S.J. Youngner, For Experts Only? Access to Hospital Ethics Committees, “Hastings Center Report”, September-October 1991: 17-24.
View in Google Scholar

Annas [1991] – G.J. Annas, Ethics Committees: From Ethical Comfort to Ethical Cover, “Hastings Center Report”, May-June 1991: 18-21.
View in Google Scholar

Doyal [2001] – L. Doyal, Clinical ethics committees and the formulation of health care policy, “Journal of Medical Ethics” 27, 2001: 44-49.
View in Google Scholar

DuVal et al. [2001] – G. DuVal et al., What triggers requests for ethics consultations?, “Journal of Medical Ethics” 27, 2001 (suppl I): i24-i29.
View in Google Scholar

Ethics in Practice [2005] – Ethics in Practice: Background and Recommendations for Enhanced Support, Royal College of Physicians, London, 2005.
View in Google Scholar

Godkin et al. [2005] – M.D. Godkin et al., Project Examining Effectiveness in Clinical Ethics (PEECE): phase 1 – descriptive analysis of nine clinical ethics services, “Journal of Medi- cal Ethics” 31, 2005: 505–512.
View in Google Scholar

Hoffman [1991] – D.E. Hoffman, Regulating Ethics Committees in Health Care Institutions – Is It Time?, “Maryland Law Review” 50, 1991: 746-797.
View in Google Scholar

http://www.ethics-network.org.uk/committees (accessed on 26/10/2009). http://www.ethox.org.uk (accessed on 26/10/2009).
View in Google Scholar

McLean [2008] – S.A.M. McLean, Clinical Ethics Committees: a due process wasteland?, “Clinical Ethics” 3, 2008: 99-104.
View in Google Scholar

McLean [2005] – S.A.M. McLean, Law and Ethics: A New Governance Issue?, “Clinical Risk” 11, 2005: 1-5.
View in Google Scholar

Orlowski et al. [2006] – J.P. Orlowski et al., Why doctors use or do not use ethics consultation, “Journal of Medical Ethics” 32, 2006: 499-502.
View in Google Scholar

Re Quinlan [1976] – In Re Quinlan, NJ 1976, 355 A2d 647.
View in Google Scholar

Slowther et al. [2001] – A. Slowther, C. Bunch, B. Woolnough, T. Hope, Clinical ethics support services in the UK: an investigation of the current provision of ethics support to health professionals in the UK, “Journal of Medical Ethics” 27, 2001 (suppl I): i2-i8.
View in Google Scholar

Slowther et al. [2004] – A. Slowther, C. Johnston, J. Goodall, T. Hope, Development of clinical ethics committees, “BMJ” 328, 2004: 950-952.
View in Google Scholar

Sokol [2009] – D. Sokol, The unpalatable truth about ethics committees, “BMJ” 339, 2009: b4179.
View in Google Scholar

Sokol[2005] – D.K. Sokol, Meeting the ethical needs of doctors: We need clinical ethicists in addition to other measures, “BMJ” 330, 2005: 741-742.
View in Google Scholar

Spielman [2001] – B. Spielman, Has Faith in Health Care Ethics Consultants Gone Too Far? Risks of an Unregulated Practice and a Model Act to Contain Them, “Marquette Law Review” 85, 2001: 161-221.
View in Google Scholar

Van der Kloot Meijburg, ter Meulen [2001] – H.H. Van der Kloot Meijburg, R.H.J. ter Meulen, Developing standards for institutional ethics committees: lessons from the Neth- erlands, “Journal of Medical Ethics” 27, 2001 (suppl. I): i36-i40.
View in Google Scholar

Wolf [1992] – S.M. Wolf, Due process in ethics committee case review, “ HEC Forum” 4, 1992: 83-96.
View in Google Scholar