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Events

This page provides a calendar of healthcare events held by GMC Northern Ireland, or being attended by GMC Northern Ireland.

GMC consultation workshop on application of the civil standard of proof

Date: Friday 12 October 2007
Venue: Radisson SAS, Gas Works, Belfast

The GMC is holding a consultation workshop on application of the civil standard of proof at Fitness to Practise panel hearings in the Radisson SAS, Belfast on Friday 12 October 2007.

The purpose of the workshop is to seek views on how the move to the civil standard can best be implemented. Registration and refreshments will be available from 10.00 am. Discussion, chaired by Dr John Jenkins GMC Medical Member, will begin at 10.30 am and conclude at 12.30 pm with lunch.

The White Paper, published on 21 February 2007, confirmed the Government’s intention that the civil standard of proof should be common across all the health professional regulators. The Government is proposing that this requirement should be included in the Health and Social Care Bill, which is part of the draft legislative programme for 2007/2008.

This consultation runs until 31 October 2007. A copy of the consultation and associated documents are also available at www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/consult.

Anyone interested in attending this event should contact the GMC Northern Ireland office on 028 9051 7022 or email nmallon@gmc-uk.org. Please include your name, organisation and any dietary or other requirements you have. The Radisson SAS, Belfast is fully accessible.

GMC consultation seminar on revised consent guidance

Date: Friday 29 June 2007
Venue: Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Belfast

As part of the ongoing consultation process on our new guidance, Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together, GMC Northern Ireland is holding a local consultation roundtable event on 29 June in Malone House to give representative organisations with an interest in the subject the opportunity to have their views heard.

Tea, coffee and registration will be available from 10.00 with the discussion beginning at 10.30 and concluding at 12.30 with lunch.

The new consent guidance, will for the first time, provide advice for doctors on how to communicate the risks and possible side effects of treatment with patients. It aims to provide doctors with a framework that can apply to the range of situations that they face in practice. It will cover issues including the language and timing of discussions with patients and will explain how to handle difficulties such as uncertainty over the level or nature of risk. It will also reflect changes in the law, including variations in different countries within the UK.

This consultation runs from 21 May 2007 to 20 August 2007. For further information on the draft guidance and to respond online, log on at https://gmc.e-consultation.net/making_decisions.

GMC consultation workshop on revised Seeking Patients’ Consent guidance

Date: Wednesday 6 June 2007
Venue: Baby Grand, Opera House, Belfast.

The General Medical Council is in the process of updating its guidance Seeking Patients’ Consent: The Ethical Considerations. As a part of the consultation process we are holding a number of interactive workshops across the UK with the National Theatre around the issue of consent.

In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society and Age Concern NI we are holding an event in Belfast at the Baby Grand in the Opera House on Wednesday 6 June between 10.30am and 12.30pm followed by lunch.

An audience of patients diagnosed as in the very early stages of dementia, carers and doctors with an interest in dementia will be invited to discuss and comment on (or participate in) an acted scenario involving a patient whose capacity to make decisions for themselves is affected by early-stage dementia.

The focus will be on patients’ wishes and concerns about decision making for current and future treatment, and how these can be identified and met. The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for doctors, patients and carers to discuss their views and concerns about these issues together. The discussions at this workshop will inform the content of the guidance, which we plan to publish in early 2008.

For further information on the event, or to register your attendance, contact the GMC Northern Ireland office on 028 9051 7022 or email nmallon@gmc-uk.org. Please include your name, organisation and any dietary or other requirements you have. The Baby Grand is fully accessible.

GMC Fitness to Practise consultation seminar

Date: Wednesday 23 May 2007
Venue: The Mount Business and Conference Centre, 2 Woodstock Link, Belfast.

GMC Northern Ireland is hosting a consultation workshop on Consensual Disposal and Guidance to the Fitness to Practise rules 2004 at The Mount Business and Conference Centre on Wednesday 23 May. The seminar will be chaired by Dr Joan Martin. Dr Martin is a Northern Ireland lay member of the General Medical Council

Tea, coffee and registration will be available from 10.00 am. The seminar will begin at 10.30 am with a GMC presentation on Fitness to Practise issues and the background to the consultation. This will be followed by a discussion on proposals to change our rules and extend the scope for disposing of cases consensually at the investigation stage of our fitness to practise procedures. Further discussion will take place on revised guidance to the Fitness to Practise rules. The seminar will conclude at 12.30 pm with a buffet lunch.

This consultation runs from 17 April 2007 to 17 July 2007.

A copy of the consultation and associated documents are available on:www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/consult

GMC staff attend first major General Medical Services Conference in Northern Ireland addressing patient safety, quality and governance issues.

The General Medical Council was represented at the “Improving, Innovating and Learning – Governance in General Medical Services” event in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on 27 March. This event was organised by the Northern Ireland Clinical and Social Care Support Team on behalf of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

This was the first major conference in Northern Ireland addressing patient safety, quality and governance issues. Council Member Dr John Jenkins was one of the key speakers alongside the Chief Medical Officer, Chair of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, and Chair of the British Medical Association, Northern Ireland.

GMC Northern Ireland had a display stand and distributed promotional material at this event, with a number of staff attending the event and associated workshops.

GMC consultation seminar on Children's Guidance in Northern Ireland

The General Medical Council is developing the first ever, comprehensive guidance for doctors focusing on children and young people. As part of our consultation process, we are holding a seminar to provide an opportunity for those with an interest in children and young people to share their views directly with the GMC and to ensure any issues specific to Northern Ireland are considered in the drafting of the final guidance

A meeting of stakeholders and interested parties will be held in Belfast between 1.30pm and 4.00 pm on February 12th, at the Voluntary Services Bureau, 34 Shaftesbury Square. Lunch and registration are available from 1pm. We are delighted the new Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Patricia Lewsley, will address the meeting.

If you would like to attend the event please contact Nichola Mallon on 028 9051 7212 or email nmallon@gmc-uk.org. In responding please include your name, organisation and any dietary or other requirements you have.

For further information on the draft Children's Guidance and to complete the online consultation log on at www.gmc-uk.org/children. The consultation is open until 2 nd March 2007.