The Institute of Medical Ethics

24/07/2026

New data reported in The BMJ show notable ethnic disparities in offers for UK medical specialty training.

Black applicants received offers at roughly 12% overall, compared with 47% for white applicants - a gap that widened considerably in some specialties. Notably, shortlisting rates were broadly similar across groups, with the difference emerging at the offer stage.

The findings raise questions relevant to medical ethics: how selection processes ensure fairness and consistency, what institutional duties exist to monitor and respond to disparities once identified, and what further analysis (the data doesn't yet allow adjustment for factors like country of qualification) would be needed to understand the drivers.

Worth reading in full:

https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100228

22/07/2026

The consultation on the new GMC Order 2026 closed yesterday - the first overhaul of the Medical Act 1983 framework in over 40 years. At stake: whether "medical professional" becomes a protected title for doctors only, and how PAs/AAs are regulated going forward. A live case study in professional identity & patient safety law.

Read more: https://www.gmc-uk.org/about/how-we-work/regulation-is-changing

Reform of the legislation that governs how we work will give us a more responsive and flexible framework that better serves the needs of patients and the professionals we regulate.

26/03/2026

Spain's Constitutional Court ruled that proceeding with euthanasia for Noelia Castillo did not breach fundamental rights, rejecting her father's appeal — a case that reflects the tension between individual decision-making and the role of families in deeply personal medical choices.

Spain's Constitutional Court affirmed she had full capacity to decide. This is reportedly the first case approved primarily on grounds of psychiatric suffering alongside physical disability.

How should clinicians assess decision-making capacity when suffering is both physical and psychological?

Noelia Castillo, 25, has struggled with psychiatric illness since she was young and tried to kill herself in October 2022

21/03/2026

A moment for reflection in medical ethics:
The House of Lords has voted to support pardoning women previously convicted under abortion laws, and to back decriminalisation.
For medical ethicists and clinicians, this invites thoughtful consideration: How do legal frameworks shape clinical practice? How should medicine respond when patient care intersects with criminal liability?
The relationship between law, ethics and medicine continues to evolve.

House of Lords decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeated

19/03/2026

🔬 A live public health ethics question:
The University of Kent is managing a MenB outbreak. Students have been advised they can go home — raising a classic tension: individual freedom of movement vs. containment for collective protection.
When does facilitating dispersal complicate prophylaxis delivery and contact tracing? Who holds moral responsibility for health outcomes across dispersed populations?
No easy answers — but important ones.
Where do you stand: autonomy or precautionary containment?

Contacts of the cases in Kent are being traced and offered antibiotics, reducing the risk that the current outbreak will grow. But for those made ill, it's horrific.

18/03/2026

500,000 people consented to share their health data with UK Biobank to advance medical research. That data was later exposed online. This is a case study in the gap between consent, de-identification, and real-world data security. What obligations do researchers and institutions have when access controls fail? 🔗

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds data from flagship medical research leaked dozens of times

09/03/2026

🚨 The Assisted Dying Bill may not pass this parliamentary session — what does that mean for patients and doctors?
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is now very unlikely to complete its Lords stages in time, after the government declined to allocate additional parliamentary time. Nature
Should parliament have prioritised this — or does slowing down protect vulnerable patients?
📎 constitution-unit.com/2026/03/06/the-terminally-ill-adults-end-of-life-bill-and-filibustering-in-the-house-of-lords/
(Published 6 March 2026)
💬 Do you think more parliamentary time should have been given to this bill? # ying

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – commonly known as the assisted dying bill – is now very unlikely to pass in this session. Its supporters have accused opponents of filibustering – a c…

22/01/2026

Our first virtual seminar of the year is coming up soon!

Lessons from Li: A confucian inspired approach to global bioethics

Jan 28th 5:30pm

Book your place!

Further info: https://ime-uk.org/events-and-news/events/online-seminar-lessons-from-li-a-confucian-inspired-approach-to-global-bioethics/

21/01/2026

The IME Student conference is soon approaching! Have you booked your ticket yet?

Saturday 7th February

Book here: https://ime-uk.org/events-and-news/events/student-conference-save-the-date-abstract-call-open/

12/01/2026

Interested in medical ethics?
We’re hosting a wide range of sessions over the coming months.
Explore our upcoming events and secure your place!

Further info: https://ime-uk.org/events-and-news/events/