Patient condidentiality goes over informing a docter in my place as well, I think. If and when I write a report to an HCP it almost always is on mother's own request. I see patients as a private practice LC, mostly without any kind of referral.
  I am expected by the moms seeking my help and advice to explain how and why her HCP's advice is compliant with lactational sciences views. It is no bashing if I tell them that their doc's advice (as reported to me by patient) is not congruent with up to date evidence based practice. 
   
  Warmly,
   
  Gonneke, private practice lactation consultant and lactation lecturer in southern Netherlands
   
   

heather <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  >
>Have the authors of this part of the code considered that it may be 
>illegal in some areas to "require" a consent to share health 
>information? In Australia, I believe it would breach the Privacy Act 
>to require this consent


I think I am right in saying the same would be true in the UK. No 
healthcare practitioner is ever obliged to share information about a 
client with any other HCP on confidentiality grounds, and that goes 
for practitioners inside and outside the public healthcare system. 
In some circumstances, an HCP might strongly advise a client to allow 
this sharing, but he/she has to allow the client's wishes to 
predominate.

When it comes to volunteer organisations like my own, the default 
position is confidentiality - I think the same is probably true of 
LLL, too. We are 'mother-centred' and we almost never share the 
encounter with anyone else. We have a protocol which we follow if we 
think the mother and/or baby is in danger.

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