Speakers:
Tamarind Ashcroft, Head of Tribunal Development at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
Katie Costello, Consultant at Clyde and Co LLP
Chair:
Kate Steele, Partner at Capsticks
Description: Our speakers will examine the important issue of protection of the health and wellbeing of those involved in fitness to practise proceedings.
This seminar will take place remotely, on an appropriate platform. Those signing up will be provided with a link in advance of the seminar. Please note that the seminar is open to members only and you will be asked to confirm that you are a member before joining the event. Membership renewal is currently underway so you may need to renew your membership before booking.
Please note you will need to log in to your ARDL account in order to book.
The Speakers:
Tamarind Ashcroft has been Head of Tribunal Development at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) since 2011. The MPTS is a statutory committee of the General Medical Council and runs the hearings where doctors’ fitness to practise is called into question. Previously Tamarind has held a number of roles within organisations that delivered legal aid, working to improve the standard of legal advice provision. In her role at the MPTS, Tamarind has supported the inception of the MPTS in 2012, introduced the use of Legally Qualified Chairs and more recently responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by introducing virtual hearings within 48 hours of the first lockdown. Tamarind is passionate about ensuring the MPTS provides a fair and effective tribunal service and works to develop the knowledge of tribunal members and introduce guidance and processes to support them to make fair decisions that protect the public.
Katie Costello is a consultant at Clyde & Co, having previously been a partner at BLM Law, and has been practising in healthcare law for over 30 years. She specialises in professional regulatory and disciplinary cases, inquests, and crime. During that time, she has been routinely instructed by defence organisations, insurers, and private individuals in some complex cases, often involving multiple jeopardy for the clients, and often cases with national media attention. Katie has a particular interest in the impact of regulatory and other proceedings on an individual’s mental health, and in 2019 was successful in obtaining a High Court order for anonymisation of a very unwell doctor, despite serious MPTS findings having been made (R (on the application of Dr X) v General Medical Council 2019 EWHC 493 Admin). In her criminal practice, Katie has defended healthcare professionals against charges of sexual misconduct, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, and fraud.
The Chair
Kate Steele is a Partner in the Regulatory Division at Capsticks and an ARDL Committee Member. With more than 16 years’ experience in fitness to practise and associated civil litigation, Kate leads a team of solicitors and barristers preparing and presenting professional disciplinary cases for a number of regulators across the range of sectors covered by ARDL – in particular healthcare, education and emergency services. Kate oversees a team who are go-to advisers in fitness to practise and regulatory law, working together to deliver for clients on a case load of several hundred matters at different stages of the fitness to practise process and supporting regulators with continuous improvement projects and process improvements.