A chaperone is a trained person present during a medical examination to support both the patient and the clinician.
Chaperones are commonly offered during intimate or sensitive examinations (e.g. breast, genital, or rectal exams).
Purpose:
- Protects the patient’s dignity, comfort, and safety
- Provides reassurance and emotional support
- Helps safeguard the doctor against misunderstandings or allegations
To request a chaperone, you can either
- Use the online consultation form
- Telephone the surgery let one of the team know ahead of your appointment.
- Let the clinician you are seeing know during your appointment.