The duty of confidentiality that a doctor owes to a patient is probably as old as the practice of medicine and is essential for trust between doctors and their patients. However, it is not an absolute duty and there are instances when a doctor is entitled, and in certain circumstances obliged, to disclose confidential information without patient consent to do so. This chapter is concerned with doctor–patient confidentiality and when medical information can reasonably be released. Confidentiality is covered by a mixture of UK statute, common law, tort law, and the European Convention on Human Rights. It is also a core component of the professional guidance given to doctors by the profession’s regulatory body, the General Medical Council, to which all doctors registered with it are expected to adhere.
