Legal issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal issues - Assignment Example The increase of the patient’s blood pressure to 40 mm Hg within just an hour is a pertinent issue, which the nurse should have reported to the physician immediately. Nurses are also mandated to speak to physicians about changes in patient conditions, rather than leaving messages (Wolf, 2012). Therefore if the nurse in this scenario claims that she left a message for the physician about the rapid increase in the patient’s blood pressure before going for lunch, she would have violated the legal obligation of nursing practice. The professional code of conduct as presented within the Nursing Practice Act provides that nurses must go further up in the chain of command in an event when they are not able to get the physician (Mikos, 2011). Therefore inability to get the physician would not be an excuse for the nurse’s behavior in this scenario. The nurse violated the procedures and policies of nursing practice and is therefore liable to the violations and penalties of the Nursing Practice Act. Nurses are responsible for knowing and adhering to the procedures of care, such as reporting patient conditions. It is through education and training that nurses are made aware of nursing policies and procedures. Despite the knowledge of the nurse of the procedures of reporting the conditions of the patient, she ignored implementing them. Negligence is a legal issue in health care processes, which described the inability of practitioners to demonstrate due care (Mikos, 2011). In this scenario, the nurse was negli gent because she did not show due care in reporting the high and increasing blood pressure of the patient, and instead went for lunch. When a health provider fails to do what should prudently and reasonably done, then negligence is reported. A breach of duty is also categorized under negligence (Wolf, 2012). The nurse breached her duty of reporting the change in the patient’s condition. The critical nature of the patient’s blood

Compulsory civil admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Compulsory civil admission - Essay Example New Mental Health Act will put the importance on better community treatment. This paper sketches some of the themes that emerge from Mental Health research, explains how such themes can update Mental Health legislation and some impediments to Mental Health plans. Through keen experiment of relevant British legislation, this study argues that mental health policy at a national level lacks a defined role which the new legislation may provide, thereby enhancing the profession's voice in overall mental health legislation enactment. Moreover, the inherent complexity of the relationship means that the modification of one point in either the mental health or legal system or policy has an enourmous impact on the criminal justice system as a whole. By abandoning its plans for a new Mental Health Act the government has limited its scope for innovation. As a result of the increasing points of contact in mental health policy and legislations processing, the systems have become particularly evide nt from the proposed NR (nearest relative) provisions. In spite of the obtainable debate about the mental illness and incapability in mental health legislation, there is surprisingly little systematic link between criminal justice and mental health issues dates back to common law and has long been a somewhat problematic relationship. The legal meaning of incapacity, though, remained in vague. There are some legal rulings on the moderation of those with illness under common law in near future. A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appropriate the criminality (wrong fullness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law. "Health or safety" is interpreted in practice to include the mental health of the person, essentially embodying a "need for treatment" approach to commitment criteria (Code of Practice). The enactment of only legislative scheme administrating nonconsensual treatment of both 'phys ical' and 'mental' illnesses, founded on incapacity principles, has been unsettled in recent law reform debates in the UK. In 1995 recommendations from the Law Commission for a 'Mental Incapacity Act' were published (Law Commission, 1995).1 The legislation proposes a definition of incapacity as being 'unable by reason of mental disability to make or communicate a decision' (where mental disability includes 'any disability or disorder of mind or brain, permanent or temporary, resulting in an impairment or disturbance of mental functioning') (Lord Chancellor's Department, 1999: p. 8). The definition of incapacity includes the presence of mental disability (rather than mental disorder, as required by the Mental Health Act 1983) means those with transient states of impaired judgement caused by pain may be included. The propose of legislation that combines the strengths of both incapacity and civil obligation designs can be enthusiastically anticipated, based on the criteria for interfer ence in England and Wales found in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Such legislation would diminish inexcusable legal discrimination against mentally disordered persons and pertain to reliable moral or ethical principles athwart the medical