The 33rd AvMA Annual Clinical Negligence Conference 2023

TONI BEDWARD >

Solicitor

Last week some of our expert clinical negligence team (Toni Bedward, Lauren Phillips, Sarah Corbett and Andrew Bentham) had the pleasure of attending the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) 33^rd Annual Clinical Negligence Conference.

AvMA is an exceptional charity which aims to raise awareness of the continuing need to improve patient safety and justice for people who have suffered medical accidents. Whilst AvMA has been established for 40 years, this is an issue which is arguably more prevalent now than ever. Nisha Sharma, Partner in our Clinical Negligence department recently wrote an article about the issues within the NHS and how they are impacting on treatment that patients are receiving.

AvMA also directly assists individuals by providing advice, assistance, and support when something has gone wrong with their care or a relative’s care.

Our specialist Clinical Negligence team are accredited by AvMA due to their extensive knowledge and experience of dealing with clinical negligence claims.

The Annual Clinical Negligence Conference runs over two days, and hosts both medical and legal speakers, discussing fascinating areas of medicine, legal updates, and developments in clinical negligence and healthcare law. Our team spent the two days surrounded by other leading professionals in their field including medical and medico legal experts, barristers as well as other solicitors.

This year’s conference took place in Bournemouth and the general theme for the conference was surgery, however there was a hugely diverse selection of medical experts discussing a number of medical issues such as:

• Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) and anaesthesia;
• Cardiac and cardiothoracic surgery
• Abdominal pain in the accident and emergency department
• Robotic prostate surgery
• Gynaecological oncology
• Vascular surgery
• Breast radiology
• Sepsis

These sessions are essential for keeping medical knowledge up to date and can provide food for thought on current cases our clinical negligence department are dealing with.  

The conference also provided a legal update from Adrian Hopkins KC of Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, discussing some of the most influential cases of the last year and their impact on clinical negligence law.

In addition, there were a number of talks explaining the changes currently being implemented in the NHS with regard to investigating incidents and complaints and how changes to the framework can improve learning and development within the organization.

Toni Bedward, Solicitor in our Clinical Negligence department had the following to say about the event:

“This was my first year attending the AvMA annual conference as I qualified at the start of the first lockdown and it is an event which I will put in my diary each year. My colleagues and I were grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference and be inspired by the talented clinicians and colleagues also in attendance.”

For many if not all of the Taylor Rose MW clinical negligence team, the complexity of medicine and medical conditions is one of the best parts about their jobs, following the ability to assist those in need. The fact that medicine, surgery and treatment options are constantly evolving, highlights the need for such interesting and informative events like this.

The conference started with a welcome event on Wednesday evening at Bournemouth’s ‘sky bar’ giving the team  the opportunity to meet with other attendees.

Toni Bedward discusses further, “In my opinion, one of the disadvantages of life after lockdown is the rare opportunities to meet barristers and experts that we instruct face to face during the lifetime of a case, and it was really nice to put some names to faces. On Thursday evening, we were lucky enough to be invited to sit with our professional colleagues at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers and 12 King’s Bench Walk at the fantastic mid-conference dinner.

We are sincerely looking forward to next year’s conference already, as well as the other fundraising events and webinars run by AvMA throughout the year.”

How can AvMA help you?

AvMA provide free advice about what a person’s options are following an injury, via their helpline. Additionally, they can provide assistance and advice in relation to inquests arising from a healthcare related death, for eligible people.

The AvMA website has a number of self-help guides to assist with making a complaint, obtaining medical records or obtaining help with an inquest as well as a number of frequently asked questions about pursuing a claim for clinical negligence. To find out more about whether AvMA could help you, or to donate to the charity, visit their website.

If you think you may have a clinical negligence claim that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0203 540 4444 or to use the ‘Contact us’ button and our specialist clinical negligence team will contact you to review your potential claim.  For more information about our Clinical Negligence Department, click here.

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