In our increasingly litigious society, one of the most stressful scenarios for a healthcare professional is receiving notification of a clinico-legal complaint against them. This may be civil litigation (being “sued”) or a GOC fitness to practise investigation. This presentation covers each of these scenarios, considering the likelihood of such a case, the practitioners who are most at risk, and examples of commonly encountered cases (glaucoma, retinal detachment, keratoconus, tumours, and amblyopia). The talk will emphasise simple steps that practitioners can take to minimise the risk of being the subject of a clinico-legal case. The typical process of such cases will be outlined, together with advice on how to cope with this very stressful situation and indeed how to emerge from the process as a better clinician.

Learning outcomes:

• Practitioners will identify how to cope with and respond to clinico-legal complaints against them
• Practitioners will recognise the processes involved and how best to manage clinico-legal complaints against them, maintaining honesty and trustworthy and being candid throughout when things have gone wrong