16 December 2021

Dr Jonathan Martin, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, has been awarded a Master of Laws degree with distinction.

Jon said, “My sincere thanks to CNWL for giving me this opportunity. I am putting my learning to good use at the Trust in the Clinical Ethics Committee, and providing teaching from the course to the palliative care team and others.”

Medical Director Dr Paul Hopper, said, “That’s a wonderful achievement Jon, I am genuinely delighted for you! As you say, this is directly benefiting CNWL. Your expertise will help us to apply legal and ethical frameworks to the complex work our colleagues do, as well as promoting wider public understanding.”

Jon explains:

“I had been asked to join a working party for the Ministry of Justice, rewriting the Code of Practice for the Mental Capacity Act. This deepened my fascination so I decided to develop my knowledge further and pick up some skills on making arguments at the same time. This idea  - the Master’s Degree - was supported by the Trust, who could see the wider benefit and encouraged me to pursue it.”

“I have been teaching my own team on the law about consent in children and I act as a resource on the Mental Capacity Act, and sometimes for GP colleagues (though I always tell people that I am not a lawyer).

“I am a member of the Trust Clinical Ethics Committee and helped set up a number of ethics committees around London at the start of the pandemic by facilitating the involvement of recently retired members of the judiciary as lay committee members. I co-wrote guidance on ‘futility’ with one of these judges and we have plans to publish this.”

“Separately, I have also taught the public about DNACPR (Do Not Attempt CPR) decisions through the National Mental Capacity Forum, chaired by Baroness Finlay, of which I am a member of the leadership group.”