Information Privacy in Healthcare - The Vital Role of Informed Consent.

The use and disclosure of patient information is subject to multiple legal and ethical obligations. Within European human rights law the differences relating to consent are reflected in the separate requirements of data protection law, the common law, and professional ethics. The GDPR requires explicit consent.

Legal capacity, developmental capacity, and impaired mental capacity in children under 16: Neurodevelopment and the law in Northern Ireland.

When people of any age, despite all possible support being provided, are unable to make a necessary decision, then it is important to have a legal framework which promotes and protects their rights. There is ongoing debate about how this can be achieved, in a non-discriminatory way, for adults but it is also an important consideration for children and young people. In Northern Ireland, the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, when fully implemented will provide a non-discriminatory framework for those aged 16 and over.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorder and the need for psychiatric care in Northern Ireland. Population study in the District of Derry.

Background: This is the first report on the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and needs for psychiatric treatment in the District of Derry, Northern Ireland.

Aims: To assess the prevalence of psychiatric disorder and the needs for treatment in the general population of Derry.

Method: The sample was drawn at random with a two-phase design using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) during the first phase, and the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) with the Needs for Care Assessment (NFCAS-C) in the second phase.

Psychiatric services in Ireland: North and South.

This overview of mental illness services in Ireland, North and South, over recent decades, is a descriptive account. It refers to policies, development and operation of the services, with certain figures relating to hospital admissions, human resources and costs in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The paper points to the need for more detailed comparisons, which would require more rigorous, systematic health services research.