Professional Regulatory seminar with guest speaker Walter Merricks

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The Professional Regulatory team held their Autumn seminar on Thursday 16 September at etc.venues, The Hatton, Hatton Gardens in London and were very pleased to be joined by guest speaker Walter Merricks.  Currently Chair of the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA), Walter reviewed how far the concepts of consumer service, fair treatment, early resolution, mediation, consensual disposal, proportionality, and non-adversarial dispute resolution are being effectively applied.

To view Walter's slides please see below.

Teresa Murphy, barrister at Blake Lapthorn also provided an informative update on the latest case law - click here to view or download a copy of the Autumn seminar regulatory case update.

Walter Merricks: Qualified as a solicitor, Walter's early career involved public legal practice (at Camden Community Law Centre), teaching (at Brunel University), public policy (serving on the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure and the Fraud Trials Committee), journalism (for the New Law Journal) and professional representation and regulation (as Assistant Secretary-General of the Law Society).

In 1996 he was appointed Insurance Ombudsman, and in 1999 he became the inaugural Chief Ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service until he stepped down in 2009. From 2002 to 2008 he served first as a member, and latterly as Chair, of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

In 2009 he was appointed as Chair of the Office of Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA). The Government is presently consulting on whether the establishment of OHPA should continue.

Teresa Murphy: Teresa is a barrister in the Professional Regulatory team at Blake Lapthorn. Following practice in Chambers, Teresa worked as an in-house counsel with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) prosecuting allegations of misconduct and incompetence. In her role at Blake Lapthorn she is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and defending regulatory offences. Whilst practising in chambers Teresa completed an LLM in Medical Law graduating with distinction; the course had a strong emphasis on Medical Ethics. Teresa is a member of ARDL; Human Rights Bar Association; Professional Negligence Bar Association. She is also a member of Middle Temple and is the editor of our monthly email bulletin on regulatory law and practice.