Do you need a chaperone?

Released 23/08/2010

The MDU advises practices to have chaperoning policy

The Medical Defence Union is advising its GP members to ensure their practice has a chaperoning policy in place.

The advice was issued in response to research published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, which found that nearly half of the 92 hospital trusts responding to a survey did not have a chaperoning policy in place (43.5%) and that only half of these (52%) intended to put one in place.

The MDU said that by having a clear chaperoning policy in place, GP practices and trusts could avoid confusion among staff, for example, about when to offer a chaperone.

Dr Emma Cuzner, an MDU medico legal adviser, commented: "Having a chaperone present can provide reassurance for patients during certain examinations, particularly intimate ones. Chaperones can provide support when undergoing an examination which may be embarrassing or uncomfortable for the patient.

"It is important that hospital trusts and general practices have clear policies in place covering, for example, when to offer a chaperone, who can act as a chaperone and what to do if a chaperone is refused, and that staff performing clinical examinations are aware of the policy. The GMC also recommends in its advice on Maintaining Boundaries (2006) that doctors offer chaperones for intimate examinations wherever possible.

Dr Cuzner said a secondary function of a chaperone is to protect the doctor from an allegation of improper behaviour. "Fortunately, it is our experience that allegations of impropriety during clinical examinations are rare, and findings of guilt are even less common," she commented.

In a recent MDU study of women's health complaints in general practice, there were just 48 cases about the use, or more usually the absence of a chaperone over a five-year period, she explained. "However, when allegations do occur, they can be very distressing for the doctor, as well as for the patient who perceived the doctor acted inappropriately.

"It is worth pointing out that a chaperone alone does not provide a doctor with a guarantee of protection against a complaint, and we are aware of cases where a complaint has arisen when a chaperone was present. However, a chaperone can provide independent evidence of what took place if the patient complains for any reason."

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