Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law

This book covers an increasingly important area of law, placing medical decision-making in its context and providing practical UK guidance to the solution of many problems likely to be encountered in practice. The book concentrates on the decisions involved in obtaining authority for the provision, withholding and withdrawal of physical medical treatment and care, and the UK legal requirements and consequences of the decision-making process. With a unique collection of valuable materials not easily obtained elsewhere, this important reference work examines both general principles and specific problems, such as caesarean sections, anorexia, and persistent vegetative state. This second edition has been fully updated to take account of the UK's Mental Incapacity Act 2005. Coverage includes important case law - i.e. the Baby Wyatt case - and a brand-new chapter on organs and transplants.