Healthcare practice in the UK is governed by a combination of legal statutes, professional standards, and ethical principles. Understanding the terminology associated with these frameworks is crucial for:
Ensuring compliance with UK healthcare laws
Maintaining patient safety and quality care
Supporting ethical decision-making in complex clinical situations
Enhancing professional accountability and governance
A Glossary-Building Activity allows learners to compile essential terminology, understand their meaning, and relate them to real workplace examples. This approach helps bridge the gap between theory and practice, making abstract legal and ethical concepts practical, memorable, and actionable.
Learning Outcome Alignment:
Understand key legal and ethical concepts in healthcare
Apply terminology in practical workplace settings
Identify the impact of legislation and ethics on patient care and organisational governance
Glossary terms with detailed explanations
Consent
Definition:
Consent is the process by which a patient voluntarily agrees to a medical intervention after receiving complete, comprehensible information about the treatment, its benefits, risks, and alternatives.
UK Legal Framework:
Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Patients must have the capacity to make informed decisions.
Common Law – Establishes that treatment without consent can be considered battery.
Ethical Principles:
Autonomy – Respecting the patient’s personal choice.
Beneficence – Ensuring that the decision is in the patient’s best interest.
Workplace Example:
Before surgery, a patient signs a consent form after a verbal explanation by the surgeon.
If a patient lacks capacity due to dementia, family or legal representatives are consulted to make a best interest decision.
Aspect
Detail
Definition
Voluntary agreement to treatment
Law
Mental Capacity Act 2005, Common Law
Ethical Principle
Autonomy, Beneficence
Workplace Example
Consent form for surgery; best interest decisions for incapacitated patients
Confidentiality & Data Protection
Definition:
Confidentiality is the obligation to protect personal patient information. Data protection ensures that all patient data is handled, stored, and shared lawfully.
UK Legal Framework:
Data Protection Act 2018 & UK GDPR – Governs collection, storage, and sharing of personal data.
Ethical Principles:
Confidentiality – Maintaining privacy.
Integrity – Honest and transparent data handling.
Workplace Example:
A hospital receptionist sends medical records to the wrong patient → report breach to Data Protection Officer (DPO).
Staffs encrypt electronic records and share information only on a need-to-know basis.
Aspect
Detail
Definition
Obligation to protect patient information
Law
Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR
Ethical Principle
Confidentiality, Integrity
Workplace Example
Reporting data breaches; encrypted patient records
Safeguarding
Definition:
Safeguarding refers to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and ensuring their wellbeing.
UK Legal Framework:
Children Act 1989/2004
Care Act 2014
Ethical Principles:
Beneficence – Acting in the patient’s best interest.
Non-Maleficence – Preventing harm.
Workplace Example:
A nurse observes unexplained bruises on a child → reports to safeguarding lead, liaises with social services, and documents findings.
Aspect
Detail
Definition
Protecting vulnerable individuals
Law
Children Act 1989/2004, Care Act 2014
Ethical Principle
Beneficence, Non-Maleficence
Workplace Example
Reporting child abuse signs; collaborating with social services
Duty of Care & Negligence
Definition:
Duty of care is the legal and ethical obligation to act in the patient’s best interest. Negligence occurs when a breach of this duty causes harm.
UK Legal Framework:
Common Law – Establishes duty of care.
Health and Social Care Act 2008 – Ensures patient safety standards.
Ethical Principles:
Non-Maleficence – Avoiding harm.
Professional Responsibility – Upholding standards.
Workplace Example:
Leaving a surgical instrument unsterilized → infection occurs → investigation and corrective action required.
Aspect
Detail
Definition
Obligation to provide safe care
Law
Common Law, Health and Social Care Act 2008
Ethical Principle
Non-Maleficence, Professional Responsibility
Workplace Example
Infection from unsterilized instruments; staff retraining
Equality & Human Rights
Definition:
Ensures fair treatment, non-discrimination, and respect for patient rights.
