{"id":18926,"date":"2021-11-23T15:16:39","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T15:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bant.org.uk\/?page_id=18926"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:07:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:07:22","slug":"confidentiality-and-consent","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bant.org.uk\/bant-professional-practice-handbook\/confidentiality-and-consent\/","title":{"rendered":"CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONSENT"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” el_id=”top-section” z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1619337773730{padding-bottom: 45px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTVCcHJpbnRmcmllbmRseSU1RA==[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (NTs) must keep all information about their clients confidential and not disclose any information to a third party without consent unless certain exceptions apply. These guidelines explain the requirements for client confidentiality and consent, obtaining consent, a third person attending the consultation, information on clients who are unable to provide consent, clients in care homes, consultations without the client present and disclosing confidential information.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=”” anchor=”main_anchor1″][vc_column]\n\n\t\n\t Keeping a Client\u2019s Confidentiality<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Obtaining Client Consent<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Client Ability to Provide Consent<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Third person attending the Consultation<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Clients in Care Homes<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Consultation without Client Present<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t Disclosing Confidential Information<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”5″ up=”2″ down=”2″]\n\n\t\n\t FAQs<\/span><\/i><\/span>\t<\/a>\n\n[vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”30″][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” anchor=”keeping-a-client-s-confidentiality” el_class=”anchordiv”][vc_column_inner el_class=”anchor_col” css=”.vc_custom_1618397491357{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Keeping a Client\u2019s Confidentiality:<\/i> Top<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (NTs) must ensure they keep all information about their clients confidential, including their personal details, details of attendance, any records\/test results and consultation documentation. The right to confidentiality must continue to be observed following the death of a client. No confidential information can be disclosed to a third party (including a member of the client\u2019s family) without the written consent of the client or their legal representative, unless certain exceptions<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n

Procedures must be in place to protect client confidentiality and, if working with other practitioners, for example in a multi-disciplinary clinic, everyone who has access to client information must understand they have a duty to protect the client\u2019s confidentiality. A client needs to provide consent for their case notes to be shared with another practitioner and clinics may have their own consent form for clients to sign to provide this.<\/p>\n

Practitioners must ensure that their clients\u2019 confidential information is stored safely and securely to prevent any possible breach of confidentiality by following the guidelines in Information Security<\/a>. If practitioners are employed in a clinic and work alongside other practitioners, the clinic may be responsible for the confidential storage of the client files. If the practitioners are self-employed, they must decide who has responsibility for the files and their storage. If any client data is breached, practitioners must take the appropriate steps outlined in Data Breaches.<\/a><\/p>\n

To protect the client\u2019s confidentiality, consultations must be held in a private setting where they cannot be overheard. Consulting a consultation in any public place, including a discreet area within a public place, is not permitted and the privacy of any setting, whether in person or online, must always be assessed.<\/p>\n

If you are considering any online consultations, please see the guidelines for the recording of online consultations here<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator type=”transparent” thickness=”30″][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” anchor=”obtaining-client-consent” el_class=”anchordiv”][vc_column_inner el_class=”anchor_col” css=”.vc_custom_1618397491357{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Obtaining Client Consent:<\/i> Top<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

At the start of the nutritional therapy process, NTs are advised to obtain written consent from their clients to do the following:<\/p>\n