Covid-19
The covid-19 pandemic is a medical emergency, an extreme economic burden and a powerfully real clinical ethical challenge. Amongst the key questions arising have been those related to resource allocation, which requires attention to such issues as consistency, transparency and justice. During the early months of the pandemic, UKCEN looked to support clinical ethics committees (CECs), for example, by offering guidance and support to newly formed committees. Working with a team at the University of Bristol, we also collated key ethical guidance, links to which follow.
Key points:
- Covid-19 presents distinct clinical ethical challenges
- This page provides links to key resources on this topic
Ethical Frameworks Supporting Decision-making during Covid-19
Government:
- Department of Health and Social Care Pandemic flu strategy ethical framework (2013) (this ethical framework informed subsequent guidance developed for covid-19)
- Department of Health and Social Care Covid-19: ethical framework for adult social care (2020)
- Welsh Government Coronavirus: ethical values and principles for healthcare delivery framework (2020)
- Scottish Government Covid-19 guidance: ethical advice and support framework (2020)
- Department of Health for Northern Ireland: Covid-19 Guidance: Ethical Advice and Support Framework (2020)
Regulators and Royal Colleges:
- British Medical Association Covid-19 – ethical issues. A guidance note (2020)
- General Medical Council Ethical Guidance: Coronavirus: Your frequently asked questions (2020)
- Health and Care Professions Council Applying our standards (2020)
- Royal College of General Practitioners Ethical Guidance on Covid-19 and Primary Care (2020)
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Ethics framework for use in acute paediatric settings during covid-19 pandemic (2020+)
- Royal College of Physicians of London Ethical dimensions of covid-19 for frontline staff. Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 (2020+)
- Royal College of Physicians framework, Conversations for ethically complex care (2020) (not specifically prepared to address covid-19, but may help inform discussions and documentation)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists Covid-19: Ethical considerations (2020)
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society RPS guidance on ethical, professional decision making in the covid-19 Pandemic (2020)
Societies, Charities and Other Organisations:
- British Association of Social Workers Covid-19 Pandemic – Ethical Guidance for Social Workers (2020)
- Intensive Care Society Decision making under pandemic conditions (2020)
- Learning Disability Wales Coronavirus (covid-19) and the rights of disabled people in Wales (2020)
Further Resources
- Nuffield Council on Bioethics covid-19 ethics resources (2020+)
- Clearer Thinking covid-19 ethics resources, with links (2020+)
- Hastings Center, New York, USA, repository of ethics resources, including around clinical ethics support (2020+)
- Ethics in Extraordinary Times, a report commissioned by the Professional Standards Agency (2021)
Acknowledgements: UKCEN thanks a University of Bristol research team, and particularly Helen Smith and Peta Coulson-Smith, for its invaluable input into updating these materials. The team (PI: Richard Huxtable), which is based in the Centre for Ethics in Medicine, undertook a research project, Covid-19 Clinical Ethics Support (CCES), kindly supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Research Institute, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol.