It is the responsibility of the oral health professional to determine if a person (adult) is able to consent to treatment, and to obtain this consent.
Where a person cannot give consent for treatment, a person responsible can provide consent. This may be an appointed family member or medical guardian.
Before visiting an oral health professional, it is helpful for the support person to:
- Know if the person has an appointed person responsible for providing consent. It is important that this information is up to date and recorded in the person’s oral health care plan or other health care file.
- Tell the person responsible about the appointment so they are prepared to provide consent if needed.
- Give the contact details of the person responsible to the oral health professional. The oral health professional is responsible for getting any consent needed for treatment.
More information on patient consent for medical or dental treatment is available from the Office of the Public Advocate.
Paid support workers cannot provide consent on behalf of a client.