Medical Negligence & Access to Justice in Ireland Today 2026

9:00am– 9:45am: Registration and Refreshments

9:45am–9:50am: Chair’s Welcome and Introduction

• Speaker: Alannah McGurk BL

9:50am–10:30am: Delays in Diagnosis of Hip Dysplasia

• Speaker: Will Jones, Partner, Fieldfisher (London)

10:30am–11:10am: Nervous Shock and Insights from Kinsella v Carter

• Speaker: Alan Keating SC

11:10am–11:30am: Refreshment Break

11:30am–12:15pm: Choose Well, Cut Well, Get Well: Hip Replacement Surgery

• Speaker: Miss Helen Mackay, Consultant Surgeon in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

12:15pm–1:00pm: Medical Negligence Costs and the Impact on the Health Service

• Speaker: Professor Gabrielle Colleran, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association

1:00pm–1:50pm: Lunch Break

1:50pm–2:30pm: Why Are So Many People Dying, or Being Seriously Injured, in Irish Hospitals?

• Speaker: Aideen McGarry, Solicitor, Cantillons Solicitors
• The role of the risk department in Irish hospitals — How it is supposed to work
• Case studies analysing the role and response of the risk department in the context of clinical negligence litigation
• What lessons can be learned

2:30pm–3:10pm: The Benefits of Case Management in Catastrophic Injuries

• Speaker: Siobhan McSweeney, CEO, Registered Case Manager, Nursing Consultant, Expert Witness, MCS Case Management Limited

3:10pm–3:30pm: Refreshment Break

3:30pm–4:10pm: Navigating the Future of Medical Evidence: AI and Medico-Legal Case Strategy

• Speaker: Steve Fleming, Founder & CEO, Sidelight AI

4:10pm–4:15pm: Chair’s Closing Remarks

• Speaker: Alannah McGurk BL