Quality of documentation during consent procedures in a UK plastic surgery unit

Reports a retrospective review of 78 plastic surgery records comparing the quality of documentation of consent with agreed local policy in a district general hospital. Only 54 consent forms (69 per cent) were signed by a competent clinician, 21 (27 per cent) were signed by non‐competent staff and no consent form was found for three patients. Treatment options were noted to have been discussed in 14 records (18 per cent), anticipated benefits in seven (9 per cent), potential complications in 25 (32 per cent), and discussion of the proposed procedure and aftercare in 22 (28 per cent). These figures highlight the need for change identified recently in the UK and brought to the forefront by the “Good practice in consent” documents and deadlines. The implications of our results and future directions are discussed.