1. 1 What is ‘consent’? When you say that you agree to something happening, you are giving your consent. Your doctor will ask for your consent before they treat you. You may be asked to sign a piece of paper to say you give consent. You will always have to sign a piece of paper to give your consent before you have an operation.

2. 2 When you give your consent, it is only for the one thing you have said ‘yes’ to. You can always change your mind about whether you give consent. Before you give your consent, you will be told everything you need to know to decide. You can ask as many questions as you want. Consent

3. 3 To make sure that everything is safe, you will need to tell the doctor (or other health professional) -What medicines you take -What illnesses you have had -Any allergies you have

4. 4 Who will treat me? The people who treat you will be doctors, nurses or other health professionals like physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. You may also see a student from one of the health professions. They will be learning more about their job. They will only work with you under supervision from a more qualified professional.

5. 5 What is an anaesthetic? When you have an operation, you usually need to be given an anaesthetic to make you sleep for a while. How long you sleep for will depend on how long the operation takes. You will be told what you will feel like when you wake up by the doctor who gives you the anaesthetic

6. 6 Photographs and Videos Sometimes doctors or other health professionals need to take a photograph or video of you for their records. If they need to do this they will ask for your consent first.

7. 7 Questions to ask? When you need to give consent, it is important to ask some questions. Here are some of the questions you could ask. What will happen if something goes wrong? How long will it be before I am better? Will I need to go into hospital?

8. 8 How to find out more about ‘consent’ You can find out more about consent by looking at the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/consent You can ask the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) 0800 389 8391(freephone) 0121 449 8352 (minicom) You can phone the Learning Disability Advice Line 0808 808 1111