A rock and a hard place? Ministry of Defence | Defence News | MOD confirms loss of recruitment data

[Ian Batten]

On 18 Feb 08, at 1808, James Cox wrote:

>
> On 18 Feb 2008, at 15:55, Dr Adrian Midgley (In the office) wrote:
>
>> James Cox wrote:
>>> There are strong medical reasons why such information is  
>>> necessary. Next of kin, anyone?
>> That would:-
>> a) require the contact details of the next of kin
>> b) imply permission to make contact with someone at the address  
>> given for some reasons.
>
> I don't remember any in-patient procedure i've had (or come to  
> think of it, anyone in my family either) where next of kin was not  
> requested. Again, talking in simple terms, given that there's a  
> risk of death in any procedure etc, it's usually important to let  
> someone know....

Requested, yes.  But what are you saying: ``If I die, tell this  
person?''  That's pretty much in your gift.  ``If I become  
vegetative, ask this person what to do?''  Well, you might not be  
able to choose who takes that decision.  And what if the person whose  
details you hand over doesn't want to have their details handed  
over?  Not every family is a happy nuclear one.  Next of kin is  
essentially about property, control and inheritance, and overlaying  
that with consent is perhaps a stretch too far.

Who would King Lear have had appointed as next of kin, had one of his  
children taken him to hospital?

ian