An 89 year old man has a basal cell carcinoma on his forehead which requires excision. He has dementia. The clinic nurse feels he is not competent to give consent for surgery.
Which is the most appropriate action for obtaining consent?
- Ask a psychiatrist to assess his cognitive function
- Ask his general practitioner to sign the consent form
- Ask his wife to sign the consent form
- Ask the patient to sign the consent form
- Ask the surgeon to assess his mental capacity###
E. Ask the surgeon to assess his mental capacity
Explanation:
GMC guidance on capacity and consent
Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together
Paragraphs 64–65 – Presumption of capacity
Paragraphs 66–70 – Maximising a patient’s ability to make decisions