Wellbeing and Health In-reach Nurse (WHIN) Coordinator Program Guideline and Model of Care.
The wellbeing nurse as an employee of NSW Health complies with the NSW Health Consent to Medical and Healthcare Treatment Manual.
The wellbeing nurse obtains written or verbal informed consent using the Consent Forms (Appendix 4) before undertaking any formal assessments with clients, referring them to other services or providing support. Written consent is preferred. Verbal consent should be indicated on the Wellbeing Nurse Consent Form. The consent given is documented in the electronic medical record (eMR) system and the completed Wellbeing Nurse Consent forms uploaded to the eMR.
The wellbeing nurse can obtain consent from either parent, even if parents are separated or divorced unless a court order has been made stipulating otherwise. Where no formal court orders have been made, and one parent consents and the other refuses, parents may be counselled to try and reach an agreement on what is in their child’s best interests.
Parental consent is not required if:
The wellbeing nurse documents the outcome of the assessment Gillick competence in the eMR The wellbeing nurse encourages the students to talk to their parents/carer/guardian about their health concerns and/or provide permission for the wellbeing nurse to do so on their behalf.
The wellbeing nurse uses clinical judgement to apply the criteria of Gillick competence and assess the student’s maturity and level of understanding of their healthcare needs and proposed medical or healthcare treatment if required. The wellbeing nurse considers the student’s:
