Over the last year, a number of questions have been raised by both the public and practitioners on the role that DHBs play and the rights of patients in the medical treatment process; with the government and public asking for increased transparency and accountability of processes to ensure a high standard of quality and value for dollar.

The 11th Annual Medical Law Conference examines the responsibilities of DHBs, practitioners and clinical ethical committees.

Focusing on the thought-provoking topics of:

• DHB liability: To what extent should they be held responsible when an incident occurs?
• Complaints process and defensive practice: Is the complaints process benefiting practitioners and improving the quality of patient care?
• Ethics committees: Why do we need them and how should they influence medical treatment and legal proceedings?
• Informed consent: What are the challenges in obtaining legally valid consent?
• Genetic engineering of the next generation: What are the boundaries of genetically engineering the unborn?

We invite you to join your peers to discuss the latest topics and challenges in the medico-legal field.