Glass v the United Kingdom - 61827/00 [2011] ECHR 1664 (14 September 2011)

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The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provides that the Committee supervises the execution of final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” and “the Court”);

Having regard to the judgment transmitted by the Court to the Committee once it had become final;

Recalling that the violation of the Convention found by the Court in this case concerns the administration of medical treatment in 1998 to a child with mental and physical disabilities, without the consent of his mother who was the child’s legal proxy, and without having had recourse to a court to decide what was in the best interests of the child (violation of Article 8) (see details in Appendix);

Having invited the government of the respondent state to inform the Committee of the measures taken to comply with its obligation under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention to abide by the judgment;

Having examined the information provided by the government in accordance with the Committee’s Rules for the application of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention;

Having satisfied itself that, within the time-limit set, the respondent state paid the applicants the just satisfaction provided in the judgment (see details in Appendix),

Recalling that a finding of violations by the Court requires, over and above the payment of just satisfaction awarded by the Court in its judgments, the adoption by the respondent state, where appropriate:

- of individual measures to put an end to the violations and erase their consequences so as to achieve as far as possible restitutio in integrum; and

DECLARES, having examined the measures taken by the respondent state (see Appendix), that it has exercised its functions under Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention in this case and

The case concerns the administration of medical treatment in 1998 to a child with mental and physical disabilities, without the consent of his mother who was the child’s legal proxy, and without having had recourse to a court to decide what was in the best interests of the child (violation of Article 8). The medical treatment in question involved the administration of diamorphine to alleviate stress for the applicant, a treatment dispended against the wishes of the child’s mother, the second applicant.

The European Court considered that the decision of the hospital staff to impose treatment on the child in defiance of his mother’s objections gave rise to an interference with his right to respect for his private life, and in particular his right to physical integrity, which was not necessary in a democratic society.

The European Court awarded just satisfaction in respect of the non-pecuniary damage sustained in the case. Consequently, no other individual measure was considered necessary by the Committee of Ministers.

In April 2005, the then Chief Executive of the National Health Service wrote to all Chief Executives drawing their attention to the judgment, reminding them of the United Kingdom framework and the circumstances in which doctors need to seek the intervention of the courts in the event of parental objections to proposed treatment.

In addition, in 2009 the United Kingdom authorities issued a revised and updated version of the “Reference Guide to Consent for Examination or Treatment”, initially published in November 2001, reaffirming that consent must be obtained before administering medical treatment and stating that in the case of minors and adults without legal capacity, that a parent or a person authorised under a Lasting Power of Attorney must provide consent. Furthermore, it also states that where necessary, the courts may overrule the refusal to medical treatment by a person with parental responsibility.

The judgment of the European Court has been published in the European Human Rights Reports at (2004) 39 EHRR 15

The government considers that the measures adopted have remedied the consequences for the applicants of the violation of the Convention found by the European Court in this case, that these measures will prevent similar violations and that the United Kingdom have thus complied with their obligations under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention.

1 Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 14 September 2011 at the 1120th Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies

Pecuniary damage	Non-pecuniary damage	Costs and expenses	Total
-	10000 EUR	15000 EUR	25000 EUR
Paid on 11/08/2004

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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> Glass v the United Kingdom - 61827/00 [2011] ECHR 1664 (14 September 2011) URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2011/1664.html Cite as: [2011] ECHR 1664