Speakers
John Lucarotti, NMC – Chair
John is the Assistant Director for Regulatory Reform in the NMC’s Strategy and Insight directorate and leads the NMC’s regulatory reform programme. He has been with the NMC since 2014 in a range of policy and legislative leadership roles and has led on numerous changes to the NMC’s legislation under s60 of the Health Act 1999. John is a barrister and, prior to joining the NMC, had worked for three different healthcare regulators in legal, operational and advisory positions relating to fitness to practise.
John was an ARDL Committee member between 2016 and 2020. He also sits on a part-time basis as a Deputy District Judge and a Legal Advisor to the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Sinead McKenna, NMC
Sinead McKenna is the Legal Lead on the NMC’s regulatory reform programme. Sinead has worked in healthcare regulation since 2019. Prior to that she was in-house lawyer at the Independent Police Complaints Commission where she advised the Commission’s legislative change board, working closely with Home Office officials on the Policing and Crime Bill. The Police and Crime Act 2017 reformed the police complaints and discipline system and transformed the Commission into the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Eimear O’Toole, GMC
Eimear is a Senior Policy Lawyer at the General Medical Council, who helps lead the team of lawyers currently engaged on the regulatory reform programme of work with the Department of Health and Social Care. She coordinates the support that the GMC’s Policy Legal Team provides across the GMC, including to the Fitness to Practise, Registration and Education directorates. Eimear was one of the first solicitors to qualify through the GMC’s internal training contract scheme commencing in 2012, and has since held a range of roles within the organisation. Prior to joining the Policy Legal Team in 2016, she worked as a Legal Adviser running fitness to practise cases and conducting a wide range of litigation, including Judicial Reviews, Employment and Information Tribunal cases.
Natasha Laughlin, GMC
Natasha is a Policy Lawyer at the General Medical Council. She is currently supporting the regulatory reform programme to bring physician associates and anaesthesia associates into regulation. This involves reviewing the draft legislation from the Department of Health and engaging with policy colleagues to draft rules to accompany the legislation. Natasha also provides policy legal advice on wide ranging regulatory matters to other directorates across the organisation. Prior to joining the policy legal team, she worked as a Legal Adviser for five years in the Fitness to Practise directorate which involved investigating concerns raised about doctors through to Medical Practitioners Tribunal hearings and any subsequent appeals.