answer text |
<p>National Health Service trusts may ask a patient to nominate their next of kin
on admission to hospital. A hospital will not ordinarily change a patient’s next of
kin unless the patient has requested this. In the event a patient does not have a
next of kin, health professionals may use their discretion to liaise with family and
friends to appoint one.</p><p>If it is an emergency and it is unclear who the patient’s
next of kin is, and the patient is unable to communicate their choice, the hospital
will normally seek advice from the person they believe is closest to the patient and
allocate one. Where the next of kin has been changed, both the general practice and
hospital records would be duly updated.</p><p>NHS England provides further information
on amending patient and service user records, which is available at the following
link:</p><p><a href="https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/amending-patient-and-service-user-records/"
target="_blank">https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/amending-patient-and-service-user-records/</a></p>
|
|