Nursing Law and Ethics

5. For a discussion of this issue, see Foster, Charles, 1997) Medical negligence: The new cornerstone Bolithov.City & Hackney HA)'.Solicitors' Journal,5December 1997, p. 1150; Foster, Charles 1998)Bolam: Consolidation and Clarification'.Health Care Risk
   Report, 4 5) 5.


6. The UKCC Code of Professional Conduct, clause 4, emphasises that someone subject to
   the Code must acknowledge any limitations in your knowledge and competence and decline any duties or responsibilities unless able to perform them in a safe and skilled manner'. This is emphasised byThe Scope of Professional PracticeUKCC, June 1992), which notes, at clause 9.4, that the registered nurse etc.)... must ensure that any
   enlargement or adjustment of the scope of personal professional practice must be
   achieved without compromising or fragmenting existing aspects of professional prac-
   tice and care and that the requirements of the Council's Code of Professional Conduct
   are satisfied throughout the whole area of practice'. See too the UKCC's publication:
   Perceptions of the Scope of Professional PracticeJanuary 2000).


7. SeeWilsherv.Essex Area Health Authority[1986] 3 All ER 801;Djemalv.Bexley Health
   Authority[1995] 6 Med LR 269; andNettleshipv.Weston[1971] 2 QB 691.


8. SeeWilsherv.Essex Area Health Authority[1986] 3 All ER 801, per Lord Justice Mustill at
   pp. 810±813.


9. There is also a professional obligation: The UKCC Code of Professional Conduct, clause
   3, requires persons subject to the Code to ... maintain and improve your professional knowledge and competence'. Further,The Scope of Professional Practice,UKCC, June 1992), provides that each registered nurse etc.)... must endeavour always to achieve,
   maintain and develop knowledge, skill and competence to respond to [the interests of
   the patient or client] ... clause 9.2), and `... must honestly acknowledge any limits of
   personal knowledge and skill and take steps to remedy any relevant deficits in order
   effectively and appropriately to meet the needs of patients and clients' clause 9.3). For
   further comments on the professional obligation to keep up to date, see the UKCC's
   publications:PREP and youOctober 1997) andPerceptions of the Scope of Professional
   PracticeJanuary 2000).


10. SeeCrawfordv.Charing Cross Hospital1953)The Times,8December;Gascoinev.Ian
    Sheridan and Co[1994] 5 Med LR 437.
    11.Bolithov.City & Hackney Health Authority[1998] AC 232, per Lord-Browne-Wilkinson
    at p. 243.


11. The Senate of Surgery, October 1997.


12. GMC, February 1999. Available on the GMC web-site at http://www.gmcuk.org/
    n_hance/good/consent.htm.


13. SeeRe. C 2a minor) 2medical treatment)[1998] Lloyds Rep Med 1:Airedale NHS Trustv.
    Bland[1993] 4 Med LR 39:Earlyv.Newham HA[1994] 5 Med LR 214:Penney, Palmer
    and Cannonv.East Kent Health Authority[2000] 1 Lloyds Rep. Med. 41.


14. See, for instance,First Interstate Bank of Californiav.Cohen Arnold & Co[1996] 1 PNLR
    17:Allied Maples Group Ltdv.Simmons & Simmons 2a firm)[1995] 1 WLR 1602.


15. See, for instance,Chaplinv.Hicks[1911] 2 KB 786.


16. See, for instanceJudgev.Huntingdon Health Authority[1995] 6 Med LR 223.
    18.First Interstate Bank of Californiav.Cohen Arnold & Co.[1996] 1 PNLR 17, per Lord
    Justice Stuart-Smith at 1611±12. For recent comments on loss of a chance, seeSmithv.
    NHSLA2000) [2001] Lloyd's Rep. Med. 90 andWebbv.Barclays Bank Plc2001)
    [2001] Lloyds Rep. Med. 500.


17. Note, though,Tahirv.Haringey HA[1998] Lloyds Rep Med 105, in which the court laid
    down guidelines indicating when theBonnington Castingsanalysis would be the correct
    one in a clinical negligence context.


18. SeeNichollsv.Rushton,The Times,1 9 June 1992.

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