title: Patient protection: ill-treatment and wilful neglect.
abstract: The crimes of ill-treating or wilfully neglecting patients have been extended to protect all patients regardless of age or decision-making capacity. A new offence has also been created that will allow for the prosecution of care organisations where ill treatment or wilful neglect has resulted from a gross breach of that organisation's duty of care to its patient. In this article, the author sets out the elements of these criminal offences and considers their implications for nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Health Law, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007884:Legislation, Nursing; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Criminal offence; Gross breach of duty; Ill-treatment; Wilful neglect