Search results

Workplace violence is a serious problem within the National Health Service (NHS). To combat this and to reduce the incidence of abuse and aggression shown to staff, a zero tolerance public campaign was introduced in 2007 within the UK. The campaign endorsed employer‐led zero tolerance policies, despite any evidence of the effectiveness of this approach and concerns that it is discriminatory and denies health care to those who most need it. Decisions to exclude patients from GP registers are subject to varied interpretations regarding what is deviant behaviour and the blacklisting of patients is unregulated and subject to ambiguity. Furthermore, staff training programmes, which emphasise de‐escalation strategies, have not proven to be effective and can even increase violent incidences. Initiatives to provide safe havens for those excluded, while initially believed to be effective, raise many ethical arguments about the ‘ghettoising’ of health care for those already socially excluded. Research is needed into these centres in the hope of providing some of the answers, particularly around the triggers of violence, how violence is perceived and how it can be prevented.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the current competencies and training needs for being an expert witness of trainees (CT3, ST4-6) and career grade psychiatrists (consultants and staff grade, associate specialist and specialty doctors) in a UK health and well-being Trust.

This was completed through an online survey, developed by the authors, of all career grade and trainee psychiatrists within the Trust.

Only 9 per cent of respondents reported that they felt they had adequate training to feel competent as an expert witness. Despite low levels of training and confidence, 73 per cent of respondents had written an expert report. As well as shortage of training opportunities for psychiatrics acting as expert witnesses, the findings indicated increasing fear of litigation and lack of direct experience of court proceedings during training.

Doctors need to be offered formal training opportunities including simulated training, ideally organised within Trust, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) committees or Education committees. Implementation of the RCPsych report guidance into speciality curricula and CPD opportunities for doctors would ensure a robust curriculum-based delivery of these essential skills.

A wealth of guidance is available for expert witnesses, but no previous study had identified the specific training issues and overall confidence in competency to act as an expert witness amongst psychiatrists. It will be valuable to all psychiatrists involved in court work and organisations involved in training psychiatrists, especially in light of recent relevant court cases and removal of expert witness immunity.

The purpose of this paper is two fold: educate investors about hedge fund managers' activities prior to the fraud recognition by the authorities and to help investors and other stakeholders in the hedge fund industry identify red flags before fraud is actually committed.

The paper investigates fraud committed by the Bayou Funds, Beacon Hill Asset Management, Lancer Management Group (LMG), Lipper & Company and Maricopa investment fund. The fraud activities took place during 2000 and 2005.

The five cases alone cost the hedge fund investors more than $1.5 billion. Investors may have had a good opportunity for avoiding the irrecoverable costs of the fraud had they carefully vetted the backgrounds of the hedge fund managers and/or continuously monitored the funds activities, especially during turbulent market environments.

This is the first research paper to identify and extensively investigate fraud committed by hedge funds. In spite of the size of the hedge fund industry and relatively substantial level and inevitably recurring fraud, academic journals are to yet address this issue. The paper is of great value to hedge funds and their individual and institutional investors, asset managers, financial advisers and regulators.