What is Gillick competence and how does it apply to under-16 patients in NHS 111?

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Multiple Choice

What is Gillick competence and how does it apply to under-16 patients in NHS 111?

Gillick competence is about whether a person under 16 has enough understanding to consent to medical treatment. If a young person demonstrates sufficient understanding of the nature, purpose, benefits, risks and alternatives of the proposed care, they can consent to treatment without needing a parent’s informed consent. You should treat them with respect for their confidentiality and involve them in decisions to the extent appropriate to their understanding. In NHS 111, this principle applies as you assess the young person over the phone: provide clear information, gauge their understanding, and respect their confidentiality while involving parents or carers where appropriate and necessary. The idea isn’t that any under-16 can automatically refuse or that confidentiality never applies; rather, capacity to consent or refuse depends on the individual’s understanding, not simply on age. The other statements don’t fit because Gillick competence isn’t limited to financial decisions, it is relevant to NHS 111, and it doesn’t grant an unconditional right for all under-16s to refuse treatment without any parental input.

Gillick competence is about whether a person under 16 has enough understanding to consent to medical treatment. If a young person demonstrates sufficient understanding of the nature, purpose, benefits, risks and alternatives of the proposed care, they can consent to treatment without needing a parent’s informed consent. You should treat them with respect for their confidentiality and involve them in decisions to the extent appropriate to their understanding.

In NHS 111, this principle applies as you assess the young person over the phone: provide clear information, gauge their understanding, and respect their confidentiality while involving parents or carers where appropriate and necessary. The idea isn’t that any under-16 can automatically refuse or that confidentiality never applies; rather, capacity to consent or refuse depends on the individual’s understanding, not simply on age.

The other statements don’t fit because Gillick competence isn’t limited to financial decisions, it is relevant to NHS 111, and it doesn’t grant an unconditional right for all under-16s to refuse treatment without any parental input.

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