Many hospital patients in the UK are having their human rights violated while under anaesthetic, it has been claimed.

Writing in the Student British Medical Journal, medical ethics specialist Dr Gershon Grunfeld said that medical students are intimately examining unconscious patients without their approval.

"Performing intimate examinations on patients without their explicit consent is a gross violation of the principle of respect for patients’ autonomy," he said.

Current guidelines state that patients must give their permission before being examined in such a way, reports the Metro.

Dr Grunfeld found that the guidelines are often ignored, or are not fully understood, by medical staff and called for hospitals to establish procedures whereby patients can volunteer to help with teaching.

He also commented: "Medical students must put their responsibility towards patients before any learning opportunity."

Last year, it was also reported that the human rights of elderly patients were not being adequately protected in many hospitals and care homes.