An understanding of the law and the way in which it impacts upon roles, responsibilities and care is a vital component in everyday healthcare. The law of consent is particularly complex, and its inadvertent misinterpretation, misapplication or maladministration by health professionals has led to an increasing number of legal claims for compensation. This book explains the legal issues around consent to treatment in England and Wales simply and straightforwardly. It uses real-life examples to set out the professional obligations, basic principles of consent and detailed information on each area, enabling health professional to approach consent methodically and to ensure that it is validly obtained and recorded. 'Explains the complexities of consent in a practical and straightforward way making a difficult and often complex subject easy to understand. In addition it is a useful handbook that health professionals at all levels can refer to as an everyday text to help guide them through the intricacies of the topic.' - From the Foreword by Colum J Smith 'This book is invaluable to health care professionals and could help prevent them from attending court defending the care they have inadvertently provided.' - From the Foreword by Sue Battersby 'A very useful book for healthcare professionals of all kinds to refer to' - From the Foreword by Louise M Terry