PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Josephine Mary Katharine Reynolds
AU  - Caroline Mitchell
TI  - ‘Inglan is a bitch’: hostile NHS charging regulations contravene the ethical principles of the medical profession
AID  - 10.1136/medethics-2019-105419
DP  - 2019 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Medical Ethics
PG  - 497--503
VI  - 45
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/45/8/497.short
4100  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/45/8/497.full
SO  - J Med Ethics2019 Aug 01; 45
AB  - Following the recent condemnation of the National Health Service charging regulations by medical colleges and the UK Faculty of Public Health, we demonstrate that through enactment of this policy, the medical profession is betraying its core ethical principles. Through dissection of the policy using Beauchamp and Childress’ framework, a disrespect for autonomy becomes evident in the operationalisation of the charging regulations, just as a disregard for confidentiality was apparent in the data sharing Memorandum of Understanding. Negative consequences of the regulations are documented to highlight their importance for clinical decision makers under the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Exploration of the principle of justice illuminates the core differentiation between the border-bound duties of the State and borderless duties of the clinician, exposing a fundamental tension.