Medical regulation under the spotlight in Dublin

Key issues in medical regulation and patient safety were highlighted at the recent International Conference on Medical Regulation in Dublin. The event held on 3-6 September, which attracted over 400 delegates from around the world, was organised by the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities and hosted by the Irish Medical Council.

The event offered a deep insight into the evolution and challenges of medical regulation internationally through a series of presentations and workshops.

In a video address to delegates, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organisation, underlined the need to invest in regulation. He emphasised the important role of medical regulation for both patient safety and to enable the workforce to meet broader health system goals.

The health workforce was the backbone of any health system, stated Dr Ghebreyesus. He said ensuring the availability of health workers with the right competencies and skill-mix was fundamental to achieving universal health coverage.

The health workforce was the backbone of any health system, stated Dr Ghebreyesus

Sessions on leadership and remediation emphasised that regulation must not dehumanise doctors. Delegates also heard about efforts to strengthen the voices of doctors and patients in the regulatory complaints process in Ireland.

The importance of training doctors from underrepresented groups, and training in marginalised communities, was also discussed. Training placements in rural areas, migrant communities, and prisons were cited as essential to tackling health inequalities, disparities in medical education and training, and improving population health.

During his address, which centred on ‘reflections from the political world’, former Taoiseach Mr Leo Varadkar said he believed open disclosure was still not “the norm” in Irish healthcare – despite the recent introduction of legislation in the area.

Mr Tiberius Pereira of Patients for Patient Safety Ireland spoke on the role of patient partnership. He underlined the requirement for timely, honest and full responses when things go wrong in healthcare – and supporting a culture of accountability and learning. This, in turn, generated greater trust in the system.

Dr Alan Clamp, CEO of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), UK, gave an interesting insight into the Authority’s role as the ‘regulator of regulators’. The PSA oversees 10 health and social care regulators encompassing around two million registrants. It conducts an annual performance review of each regulator, including the General Medical Council, which is published on its website. Dr Clamp outlined that the PSA uses its standards of good regulation to encourage healthcare regulators to engage with patients. He said healthcare regulation exists to protect patients, and it is critical that patients are involved in its design, delivery, and evaluation.

Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare was a topic of much discussion – encompassing both doctors’ and regulators’ use of such technologies.

During the conference, the Medical Council also announced that it will soon publish a position paper on AI in Irish medicine. Ms Jantze Cotter, Executive Director of Regulatory Policy, Standards and Research, said the pace of AI development was accelerating at unprecedented rates in modern society, presenting novel opportunities and challenges.

Closing the conference, Dr Suzanne Crowe, President of the Medical Council, said doctors entered medicine to make a difference.

“Our discussions this week have shown that medical regulation can’t stand still. The overarching need for strong collaboration is also clear. We must focus on shared outcomes, rather than shared processes, to achieve people-focused regulation. This means taking concrete steps that will make a real difference for doctors and patients. This is the spirit we must carry forward.”