Held on Monday, 24 November 2025 at 6:30pm

Venue: Apothecaries' Hall, Black Friar's Lane, London EC4V 6EJ

Presenting: An argument for providing more detailed ethical guidelines for doctors giving medical advice to family and friends (Sydney Selwyn Lecture)

To be given by Dr Monica Aquilina

Sydney Selwyn lecture 2025

In the UK and some other countries such as Australia, America and Canada guidelines state that doctors should not provide treatment to family and friends except in exceptional or emergency situations. What actually happens in practice is that doctors do intervene and give medical advice and treatment in circumstances that are not always exceptional.

In this talk I will look at studies that have been done in this field which largely focus on the experiences of clinicians and also give some recommendations on how to deal with such situations. I will explore the ethical issues raised. I will argue that there are situations where intervening in the medical care of family and friends can be ethically justified and that there is a case for improving current guidelines. There is also a need for education to help doctors navigate situations where a decision about intervention is not clear cut.

Dr Monica Aquilina FRCGP was born and brought up in Malta, and came to UK in 1978 to complete her medical degree at the Royal Free Hospital. She worked as a GP in Lewisham, London for 30 years and was a GP trainer. Since retiring from clinical work she has continued to work as a medical educator, currently with refugee doctors through the Refugee Council Professional Development Group. She was Chair of the RCGP Later Career and Retired Members (LCARM) Group from 2019-2022. She is also a mentor and coach.