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First World Health Professions Conference on Regulation
Saturday 17 May Sunday 18 May, 2008
Geneva, Switzerland

Centre International de Conférence de Genève (CICG)

The aims of the World Health Professions Conference on Regulation are:

1. To provide a global, interprofessional forum to explore the future of health care systems regulation.

2. To discuss the role of the health professions in regulation to improve health care for the benefit of the patient.

Day 1:
Saturday, 17 May 2008
13h00 - 18h00

Models of Health Professional Regulation
13h00 – 13h15
Setting the context
This introductory session will provide context on the centrality of regulation in the  delivery of and access to safe quality care. Discussion will also include some history of professional regulation and outline the need for the professions to inform a contemporary vision of regulation, within and across the professions.

13h15 – 14h00
Addressing health needs: The role of professionals
This keynote session will address the issues of the capacity and capability required to deliver access to quality health care.

14h00 – 14h45
Legislative and Policy frameworks
This session will explore different approaches to the legislative and policy frameworks used to
regulate the professions. Dimensions will include:
- Unidisciplinary, multidisciplinary and umbrella approaches
- Selfregulation, coregulation and government administered approaches
- Theoretical concepts of self-regulation

Speakers: Margaret Grant and Eliezer Blanes

14h45 – 15h30
Current and future scenarios in licensure, registration, revalidation, credentialing and accreditation
This session will examine different methods of achieving and ensuring the competence of practitioners. The advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches will be discussed and the role that key actors play, including overlaps and conflicts in responsibilities explored (e.g. tensions between increased access versus quality, academic qualification versus professional competence Self regulation versus government controlled and task shifting versus holistic provision etc.).

Speakers: David Benton and Peter Noyce

15h30 – 16h00 Viewing of posters and afternoon tea break

16h00 – 16h45 When things go wrong
This session will look at different approaches to dealing with professionals when things go wrong, including:
- the role of employers and regulators
- mistakes, lack of competence, malpractice and malicious acts
- responses (mediation, suspension, reeducation and removal, etc.)

Speakers: Robert Schäfer and Peter Swiss

16h45 – 17h45 Panel Discussion
Speakers will take further questions from the audience and also engage in a facilitated discussion.

Evening Programme: Gala dinner

Day II:
Sunday 18 May 2008
09h00 - 17h15

Regulatory Governance and performance
09h00 – 09h45 Governance of Regulatory bodies and accountability
This session will identify and explore approaches to achieving accountability of regulatory bodies – “Who should regulatory bodies be accountable to and for what?” Issues of autonomy, lay membership and levers of control on the actions of regulatory bodies will be covered.

Speakers: Dr. Terje Vigen and Laura Skidmore Rhodes

09h45 –10h25 Setting standards and codes of conduct
This session will explore the issue of who should set standards and codes of conduct. With rapid redesign of health systems how can these keep pace with changing patient needs.

Speaker: Konstanty Radziwill and Paul R. vanOstenberg

10h25 – 10h55 Viewing of posters and coffee break

10h55 – 11h35 Assuring quality, accreditation of education and practice
Competent health practitioners are to a great extent the product of a quality theoretical and practical preparation. How should programmes of preparation be accredited and what role does academic quality assurance play in professional regulatory body systems?

Speakers: Hugo Mercer and Elizabeth Oywer

11h35 – 12h20 Panel Discussion
Speakers will take further questions from the audience and also engage in a facilitated discussion.

12h20 – 13h45 Viewing of Posters and Lunch

13h45 – 17h00 Trade in Services and its implication on regulation

13h45 – 14h25
GATS and domestic regulation: two sides of the same coin or strained bed fellows? This session will give an overview of GATS, multi and bilateral agreements and how they interface with the disciples of domestic regulation. The first presentation will come from the perspective of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Speakers: Dale Honeck and Jens Gobrecht  

14h25 – 15h05 Modes of supply and regulatory challenges
This session will define the four modes of supply and explore the regulatory challenges associated with each. The content and timely transfer of patient and practitioner data, confidentiality and public protection will be explored.

Speakers: Suwit Wibulpolprasert and Alexandra Sidorenko

15h05 – 15h35 Viewing of posters and afternoon tea break

15h35 – 16h15 Equivalence and Global standards

Speaker: Jan Robinson

16h15 – 17h00
Speakers will take further questions from the audience and also engage in a facilitated discussion.

17h00 – 17h15 Conclusions
High level summary of key points