On average, Faces receives 5,917 filled-out consent forms everyday. And every day, we ask our practitioners to nudge their clients into filling out every single item on our consent forms. This minimises the risks for the practitioners and provides a standing legal document for the clients themselves.
Now some question how ‘serious’ consent forms really are, and practitioners ask if their clients could skip parts of these consent forms. We understand that correctly filling out a consent form may take more time than usual, but it is for the benefit of both parties. Before we tackle the repercussions of incorrectly filled consent forms, let’s have a refresher on what consent is.
What is consent?
The NHS describes consent as an act or agreement that gives permission for something to happen. Since all adults are assumed to have a sufficient mind to think, consent is required for every procedure. However, if a person doesn’t have the capacity to make a decision, the practitioner needs to take ample measures, like asking their insurance providers first. Consent can be given in 3 ways.
Non-verbally: Sometimes called implicit consent, examples would be extending their arm in a blood test, nodding their heads, or opening their mouths during a dental exam.
Verbally: A person directly implies consent by saying they’re happy to do the treatment.
Written: consent is expressed through a written document. This is your strongest evidence that your client has declared consent to the treatment.
The repercussions of incorrectly filled consent forms
Let’s paint you a picture. Suppose you have a client for an anti-wrinkle treatment today. The client walks in, misses a few questions and ticks on the consent form, and you carry out the treatment. You’re not worrying about anything since this hasn’t been the first time someone has done this. After a few days, you get a call, and something has gone wrong with your client’s treatment. What will happen next?
Legal trouble
Your client will sue you; what is worse, your client will have an advantage over you. Your client can sue you for negligence and malpractice. This can range from £1000 to amounts exceeding £1 million. Besides the financial downfall you might be facing, you also need to prepare a lot of paperwork.
Insurance may not back you up
Are you partnered with the right insurance? If not, then they’ll try to find every loophole they can find to deny your claims. This means you are liable for shouldering the costs of your client’s medical expenses. Scenarios like claim denials can also trigger an investigation by regulatory bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN), or the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM). Worse case, they found you guilty and can suspend your licence to operate, which will lead to serious disciplinary actions.
Need the right insurance partner? Here’s a list of the top-rated insurance companies in 2024.
Your dream going down the drain
Your business is temporarily suspended, your reputation is permanently damaged, and you are financially bankrupt. The dream of attaining financial freedom and an outstanding career path is going down the drain. The reason is an incorrectly filled consent form. You were given the worst scenario of a lifetime just because of a few-minute mistake.
How can Faces help?
Let’s mitigate the risk for your business. Faces has over 200 consent form templates that you can freely use for your business. With Faces, you can monitor which part of the consent form has still not been filled out by your client, and you can prompt them by resending the consent form back to fill everything out correctly. When accessing the filled-out consent forms, you can also see the edit history of all the consent forms. The filled-out consent forms are stored directly in your Faces account, and you can access and download them anytime you want.
Never take any chances with these consent forms. Store every correctly filled consent form on Faces today!
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