Press Releases

Ethical Issues in Intensive Care – University of Reading

Release Date : 04 November 2004

With recent high-profile cases illustrating the importance of ethical issues in Intensive Care, a timely and unique one-day meeting on this crucial area of debate and research is being held at The University of Reading on Friday 19 November, 2004. This is the first meeting of its kind in the UK to mix academic philosophy with medical ethics and clinical practice. Speakers, including Professor David Oderberg from the University's Department of Philosophy, are debating contentious issues such as organ harvesting, ordinary and extraordinary means of prolonging life, and the ethics of resuscitation. Professor Ken Hillman, a world-renowned intensive care physician from New South Wales, Australia, will be the keynote speaker at the meeting. He will be discussing the management of the dying patient in intensive care. The meeting is being organised by Dr Andrew Lawson, a consultant and medical ethicist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, in association with the Intensive Care Society. "This meeting is a fine example of how Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Reading are building ever stronger links," said Dr Lawson. "Professor Oderberg is a lay representative on the clinical ethics committee at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and there are plans to have an academic lawyer from the University to sit on the committee as well. "Two organisations such as ours working together can only be of benefit to health policy, practice and research in the Thames Valley." End For media enquiries, please contact Craig Hillsley, the University's press officer, on: 0118 378 7388 c.hillsley@rdg.ac.uk For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Communications at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Deborah Wearing on 0118 987 7421 or Carol Deans on 0118 987 7447. Registration forms for the conference are available from Dr Andrew Lawson, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Email: andrew.lawson@rbbh-tr.nhs.uk