Professional Development

Law at the front door

Run in collaboration with Medical Protection, this course aims to tackle some of the basic practical skills needed by doctors at all stages of their clinical practice, such as writing coroner’s statements and good complaint management, as well as covering some of the core principles of clinical negligence and the Death Certification process, so that these vital processes and pathways can be de-mystified.

Although doctors will face regular medicolegal challenges throughout their careers, little training exists at medical school. Medicolegal examples can take many forms, for example applying relevant legislation within clinical practice, managing ethical and legal dilemmas, answering concerns and complaints, assisting the Coroner in writing statements and giving evidence, or being involved in the clinical negligence process.

Many doctors will not be involved in managing serious incidents, complaints or Coroners cases until they reach consultant level, at which point it might be assumed that they are proficient in those skills, despite limited training. This can cause unnecessary worry and anxiety.

With this course, we aim to increase skills and confidence in applying medicolegal theory to everyday scenarios.

Who it’s for

This course is suitable for all doctors at any level, from medical students to trainee and GP/consultants, who feel that they would benefit from medicolegal expertise and practical skills.

The day is face-to-face and will be delivered via lectures and smaller workshop sessions to promote greater discussion and shared experiences between attendees.

What you’ll learn

This one-day course is designed for doctors at all levels and experience. We will cover the basic practical skills needed to minimise risks in daily practice. This course aims to provide learners with a greater understanding of medicolegal scenarios, as well as how your Medical Defence Organisation can support practitioners.

Topics covered

• the realities and processes behind a GMC Investigation
• an introduction to the new 2024 Good Medical Practice Guidelines
• understanding the dangers of social media in the medical profession
• surviving a disciplinary process
• workshops with practical skills such as writing reflections, writing medicolegal reports and statements for serious incident investigations / the Ombudsman

Benefits

By the end of the course, medical students and doctors should be equipped with basic medicolegal knowledge to assist with practical tasks and help reduce anxiety when faced with medicolegal dilemmas.

The course is face-to-face, allowing for discussion and sharing of ideas/challenges with peers.

Location