Review of the WA Health Consent to Treatment Policy

Overview

The introduction of the Health Services Act 2016 and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards 2nd Edition (2017) significantly changed the strategic and operational environment for the implementation of the WA Health Consent to Treatment Policy 2016 (Operational Directive 0657/16).

The Operational Directive is now being transitioned to a Mandatory Policy within the Clinical Governance, Safety and Quality Policy Framework issued under the Health Services Act 2016, following pre-consultation feedback from key Health Service Provider (HSP) stakeholders and the Department of Health.

With the collaboration of key stakeholders, the Patient Safety and Clinical Quality (PSCQ) Directorate, Department of Health, have drafted the:

  Consent to Treatment Mandatory Policy (Attachment 1),
which the minimum requirements for HSPs and, where possible, explanatory rationale for these requirements. 

 Consent to Treatment Procedure (Attachment 2),
which outlines the mandatory steps and processes that HSPs must follow to meet the requirements of the Mandatory Policy. 

These drafts align with relevant legislation, and are informed by national and international literature, informal consultation, as well as local policies and procedures.

Consultation Process

Responses for comment on the draft Policy and Procedure documents are encouraged from Health Service Provider and Department of Health staff that are responsible for developing and implementing policies, clinicians and consumers.

The survey contains a discussion of the key features and changes proposed in the Policy and Procedure and a structured set of consultation questions.

This survey must be read in conjunction with the attached draft Policy and Procedure documents. Where the survey refers to specific sections, read the relevant section in the Policy (e.g. Section 3.1 Policy and in the Procedure (e.g. Section 3a Procedure).

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the draft documents.