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NLJ this week: Protest and be damned? Dilemmas for healthcare professionals & their regulators

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13 June 2025
Issue: 8120 / Categories: Legal News , Environment , Climate change litigation , Regulatory , Employment , Health , National Health Service
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Doctors with placards—what is the law? In this week’s NLJ, barrister Amy Woolfson, of 5 St Andrew’s Hill, analyses the legal position where healthcare professionals take part in climate activism

Woolfson writes: ‘The record-breaking heat in summer 2022 led to cancelled operations, staff and bed shortages, and hospital overheating. It is understandable that many medical professionals, who were trained to promote and protect health, feel compelled to speak up.’

Extinction Rebellion has a specific group for healthcare professionals, Health for XR, and provides support for those who face regulatory or criminal action. However, the array of legal tools used to curb protest has expanded. This means healthcare regulators are being faced with professionals who have committed contempt of court or been convicted of protest offences. At what point does their fitness to practise become impaired? 
Issue: 8120 / Categories: Legal News , Environment , Climate change litigation , Regulatory , Employment , Health , National Health Service
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