Current practice for obtaining consent in UK neonatal units.

Working practice in neonatal units, like other medical and surgical specialties, is undergoing drastic changes to incorporate current legal and ethical requirements. We surveyed the current working practices of 60 neonatal units in this country. Consent appeared to be implied for routine procedures. Variable rates of consent were reported for specialised interventions and the surgical team was consistently involved in obtaining consent for all surgical procedures. There is great variation in practices for seeking consent in neonatal units in this country.