UHCW Clinical Ethics Advisory Committee

3ʳᵈ July 2026

University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust

We are pleased invite you to this 1-day conference on clinical ethics hosted by the UHCW Clinical Ethics Advisory Service. This year's event will be focused on the theme of uncertainty in clinical practice.

Uncertainty is an ever-present feature of healthcare, but in the current NHS landscape, it is taking on new and pressing forms. From the structural upheaval brought about by the closure of NHS England to the increasing financial pressures facing individual Trusts, clinicians and patients alike are navigating a system in flux. Uncertainty has always been an integral part of patient care, whether it is uncertainty about diagnosis, treatment trajectory, or patients’ wishes. Navigating this uncertainty is becoming more challenging, as professionals are asked to balance clinical judgment, constrained resources, and evolving models of shared decision-making. Patients, too, experience significant uncertainty about their rights, the treatment options available to them, and the degree to which their views will be heard and respected.

The role of Clinical Ethics Committees in helping healthcare teams acknowledge, communicate, and ethically respond to uncertainty is more important than ever. This conference will explore how to better navigate this uncertainty, with examples of how other individuals and organisations have addressed uncertainty. Our goal being to support and equip attendees in ethical decision-making amid structural instability, clinical ambiguity, and the very human challenge of not knowing what comes next.

The conference will also include break-out sessions with the opportunity to tackle a hypothetical case as a member of an ethics committee; a feature that has been very popular at previous events.

The conference is free to attend for members of staff, lunch and refreshments will be provided! We look forward to seeing you there!

Conference Programme

Christopher Bassford
Chair, Clinical Ethics Advisory Committee