Rethinking Regulation

Complaints processes are a key regulatory tool to explore concerns about registered practitioners where there may be a risk to the public. This is a key function of regulators who are charged with acting in the public interest. 

Increasingly regulators are examining traditional regulatory disciplinary systems in order to assess the human impact on all those involved in the process including registrants, complainants and witnesses. 

This episode explores the possibility of transformative paths forward, focusing on a more compassionate approach involving holistic systemic quality improvement rather than a one-size-fits-all punitive approach. This is known as “compassion in regulation”. It has been led by evidence-based research listening to the lived experience of people with experience of the complaints process at different stages and in different roles.

Joined by distinguished regulatory leader and academic Dr Anna van der Gaag, hosts Caroline Conroy and Johanna Morris unpack how regulatory bodies can embrace humility, courage, and true collaboration to protect the public while safeguarding human dignity.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

- The need to focus on the meaning, not mechanics of regulation
- Regulatory leadership – looking at gaps in complaints handling against regulated professionals
- The importance of including people with lived experience in regulatory quality improvement
- Courage and humility in regulatory leadership
- How to instil a learning culture in your regulator
- Just culture versus blame culture in the healthcare sector

GUEST DETAILS

Dr Anna van der Gaag is Principal Investigator, Wellcome Discovery Project at University of Surrey UK, and a distinguished regulatory leader who has carried out groundbreaking research in the area of professional regulation. 

Qualified in London as a speech and language therapist, she was the Chair of the Health and Care Professions Council and collaborated extensively with Australian health regulators on patient safety on minimising health practitioner distress. She has also held a number of non-executive roles.

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/people/anna-van-der-gaag
https://www.nursesuicidestudy.com/

MORE INFORMATION

Rethinking Regulation is for anyone working in or impacted by professional regulation with a particular focus on those who are leaders and decisions makers  in regulatory and public bodies. 

Hosted by two of Ireland's most trusted names in regulation, Johanna Morris and Caroline Conroy.

Conversations with leading national and international leaders in regulation unpack real challenges facing regulators today, cover fresh thinking and current developments whilst setting out practical ways forward for effective regulation in a fast - paced changing environment. 

Regulation rarely stands still. Rethinking Regulation will help you walk away with a clearer path forward in a real and practical way.  
 
Click ‘follow now’ to join us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

QUOTES

- Tread lightly on people's lives and think of the human being on the receiving end. - Dr Anna van der Gaag

- We need to focus on the meaning of regulation as well as the mechanics. - Dr Anna van der Gaag

-In terms of leadership the absolutely essential elements were courage, humility, a continual self-reflection and staying connected with people with lived experience.” Dr Anna van der Gaag

KEYWORDS 

#RethinkingProfessionalRegulation#MeaningAndMechanics#RegulatoryLeadershipAndCulture
#humane healthcare regulation

Statutory regulatory bodies need to be trusted. Many people, including the public and regulated professionals do not understand the role of regulators or how they work. A regulators’ ability to demonstrate how it works, the decisions it makes and how it makes them is essential to managing reputational risk. It comes down to how transparent a regulator really is. 

Recognised as a key principle of Right Touch Regulation by the Professional Standards Authority, in this conversation we take a deep dive into the question of transparency. We explore its role in maintaining public trust and managing reputational risk. We address how your organisation is being measured on this every day by the public, examining how to embed it in your organisation in a real way. 
Johanna Morris, Managing Director of Libratum Regulatory, joins co-host Caroline Conroy to share critical insights from decades of advisory work with regulators.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

- Moving from defensive to being a listening organisation.
- Using meaningful data to support transparency.
-Overcoming the "that's the way we've always done it" mindset.
- The role of the board in ensuring a transparent approach.
- Being brave about transparency.
- Transparency reviews and other key tips to keep transparency on the board's agenda.

GUEST DETAILS

Joanna Morris is a Solicitor and the Founder of Labattam Regulatory, where she advises regulatory bodies on agility, change, and governance. With extensive experience across professional regulation, she specialises in balancing public protection with individual rights and helping boards implement practical transparency solutions.

MORE INFORMATION

Rethinking Regulation is for anyone working in or impacted by professional regulation with a particular focus on those who are leaders and decisions makers in regulatory and public bodies. 

Hosted by two of Ireland's most trusted names in regulation, Johanna Morris and Caroline Conroy.

Conversations with leading national and international leaders in regulation unpack real challenges facing regulators today, cover fresh thinking and current developments whilst setting out practical ways forward for effective regulation in a fast-paced changing environment. 

Regulation rarely stands still. Rethinking Regulation will help you walk away with a clearer path forward in a real and practical way.  
 
Click ‘follow now’ to join us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

QUOTES

"One of the biggest threats to you as a regulator is the lack of transparency and consequent loss of trust..." Johanna Morris

“I think a really good way to support transparency in a regulator is to mandate that all papers and proposals that are going to the board, which are prepared by the executive team, have a transparency requirement baked in”. - Johanna Morris

“Regulators really need to be agile, so agility is the real challenge for regulators, and that's married to the legislative context. “
Caroline Conroy

KEYWORDS 
#RegulationTransparency#ProfessionalRegulatoryBodies#PublicTrustInRegulation
#RegulatoryLeadershipAndGovernance

Rethinking Regulation is for people leading and governing regulatory and public bodies. 

Hosted by two of Ireland's most trusted names in regulation, Caroline Conroy and Johanna Morris, the podcast brings decades of hands-on experience. 

Each episode unpacks real challenges facing regulators today, giving you fresh thinking, current developments, and practical ways forward. Join us as we share the issues shaping modern regulation through informed discussion, expert analysis and conversations with leading voices from Ireland and abroad.

Regulation rarely stands still. Rethinking Regulation will help you walk away with a clearer path to act.