Thread by @HelenHeat0n

As an NHS clinician, prior to covid vax program, I was required to prove update training on vaccine consent. It is clear. No UK clinician can ethically or legally vax someone who does not freely consent or if there is pressure. Thus vax mandation is surely unethical/unlawful.

https://twitter.com/TonyHinton2016/status/1448671534143389699

If this were not the case, ie if it can be legally found that a clinician *can* administer a vaccine where consent was not freely given, where does that leave the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which enshrines capacitous consent/dissent as a right, even if clinician has different view?

.....or the Montgomery Ruling 2015 which legally ruled that consent should be orientated to risks of concern to the patient, even if rare. Thus rare chance of problems likely of serious consequence to a young fit person, ie cardiac, neurological, thrombotic must be discussed.

All this is not new or radical or rebellious. In contrast, clinicians who have regard for MCA, Montgomery, GMC/NHS consent guidance, not to mention Council of Europe, Helsinki and Nuremberg rulings should be on sure ground with ethics/conscience/law on their side.

I would not want to work in an NHS which decided otherwise, ie coercive to patients and put my license to practice at risk by nudging me to ignore GMC guidance on informed, freely given consent. I live in faith the NHS will not do this.

It helps that I am not alone. Many other doctors agree. @TonyHinton2016 (who highlighted consent linked in my first post) is clearly one. On law, @Francis_Hoar strives to preserve recognition of our existing laws. They and others are true advocates for patient rights and safety.