On 24 March 2026, the Government published its consultation on the draft General Medical Council Order 2026, the latest step in its plan to reform the legislation of the health and social professional regulators. This webinar will explore the legal and regulatory implications of this draft legislation and discuss some of the most eye-catching proposals.
Chair
Francesca Snape, Senior Associate, Markel Law
Francesca joined the ARDL Committee in 2026. She specialises in regulatory work, defending both businesses and individuals under investigation or facing regulatory action. She has a particular specialism in education, health and social care regulation.
Speakers
John Lucarotti, Partner, Regulatory, Blake Morgan LLP
John is a regulatory law specialist with over 17 years of experience advising public bodies and professional regulators. He supports clients through complex legal and policy issues, bringing significant expertise in statutory interpretation, legislative reform, and professional discipline. He regularly advises on regulatory change programmes, statutory frameworks, and public law matters. Prior to joining Blake Morgan as a partner in 2025, John held senior legal and leadership positions within the healthcare regulation sector, including at the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council. His experience includes drafting legislation, leading strategic reform, and advising senior decision-makers on regulatory risk, governance, and litigation.
Sinéad McKenna, Legal Lead for Legislative Change at the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Sinéad is the NMC’s lead legal adviser on legislative change. She joined the NMC’s Professional Regulation Directorate as a Senior Lawyer in 2019, before joining the regulatory reform programme in 2021. Since then she has worked closely with DHSC, GMC and HCPC on the development of the government’s draft legislation. Sinéad began her career as a criminal defence solicitor, becoming an in-house solicitor for the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2009. She gained considerable experience of statutory interpretation and legislative reform during her ten years with the IOPC, working with the Home Office on their major reforms to the police complaints and conduct system in 2017. .
Francis O’Toole, Legal Adviser, Medical Protection Society
Francis O’Toole is an employed barrister and legal adviser with over two decades worth of experience in criminal law, professional regulation, and healthcare legal advisory work. He was called to the Bar in 2002 and spent the first decade of his career practising as a self-employed barrister at the Criminal Bar, developing significant advocacy and case management expertise across a broad range of proceedings. In 2014, he joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Regulatory Lawyer within the Case Preparation and Presentation Team, where he specialised in the preparation and presentation of complex fitness to practise cases. Since joining the Medical Protection Society in 2019 as a Legal Adviser, Francis has advised healthcare professionals on a wide range of medico-legal and regulatory matters. Francis has extensive experience in representing Members facing GMC fitness to practise investigations.