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Home Care Clinical Care Assess Your Knowledge Organisational SupportResidential Aged Care Assess Your Knowledge Clinical Care Organisational SupportEnd of Life Law Toolkit Capacity and Consent to Medical Treatment Factsheet: Advance Care Directives Futile or Non-Beneficial Treatment Legal Protection for Administering Pain and Symptom Relief Managing Disputes about Medical Treatment Decision-Making Substitute Decision-Making Urgent Medical Treatment Voluntary Assisted Dying Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment Overview of End of Life Law in Australia Advance Care DirectivesHome Care Residential Aged Care End of Life Law ToolkitCapacity and Consent to Medical Treatment Factsheet: Advance Care Directives Futile or Non-Beneficial Treatment Legal Protection for Administering Pain and Symptom Relief Managing Disputes about Medical Treatment Decision-Making Substitute Decision-Making Urgent Medical Treatment Voluntary Assisted Dying Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment Overview of End of Life Law in Australia Advance Care DirectivesDementia Toolkit Education Other Toolkits
Capacity and Consent to Medical Treatment
A person may consent to or refuse medical treatment if they have decision-making capacity. Generally health professionals must obtain consent before medical treatment can be provided to an older person. The factsheet in this section explains the law on decision-making capacity, and consent to medical treatment. You will also find a case study, mythbusters and other resources about the law in this area.
An online training module on this topic is available through the End of Life Law for Clinicians training program. To learn more about the training or to register visit the ELLC online training portal.Page updated 28 September 2026
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