Key legal and ethical topics (LEAG): What's faith got to do with it?

10am – 5pm BST, 30 June 2025 ‐ 7 hours

LEAG

Discussions about spirituality and religious beliefs may induce anxiety in healthcare professionals managing day-to-day care, especially around the end of life. Lack of familiarity and understanding of how different religions impact decision-making around limitations of treatment are also frequent in critical care.

This symposium hosted by the Legal and Ethical Group of the Intensive Care Society explores the main faiths in the UK and will allow healthcare professionals to pause and reflect on delivering effective and culturally competent care and communication.

10:00 – 10:30        Registration and coffee

10:30 – 10:40        Introduction of the day

10:45 – 11:00        Setting the scene

11:05 – 12:45        View of different religions on:

1. Death and dying (the value of life)
2. Autonomy, the meaning of quality of life, suffering in ICU

(The panel will include faith representatives in the UK)

12:45 – 13:30        Lunch

13:30 – 15:00        Practical approach (round table)

1. Limitation of life-sustaining treatment (including: withholding and withdrawing therapies, artificial nutrition and hydration, analgesic medications)
2. After death (rituals, care of the body, medical examiner/coroner referral)
3. Organ donation

15:00 – 15:15        Coffee/ Tea

15:15 – 15:45        Religion and best interests

15:45 – 16:45        Practical tips for culturally sensitive communication

16:45 – 17:00        Close 

Speakers

Dr Victoria Metaxa

Consultant Intensivist and Trauma , UK

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Rabbi Miriam Berger

Wellspring UK

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Dr Victoria Metaxa

Consultant Intensivist and Trauma , UK

Dr Victoria Metaxa is a full-time Critical Care and Major Trauma Consultant, at King’s College Hospital in London. She is a King's College London Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, and has a PhD in neurosciences and an MA in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care from Keele University. Her clinical interests include bioethics, end-of-life care, critical care outreach and the management of patients with haematological malignancies. Dr Metaxa is a member of the European Society of Intensive Care (ESICM) Ethics section, and the representative of the section in the e-learning committee. She is the UK National Outreach Forum board Secretary and a member of the Legal and Ethical Advisory Group of the UK Intensive Care Society (ICS).  

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Rabbi Miriam Berger

Wellspring UK

Miriam’s 18 years in the congregational rabbinate led her to the founding of Wellspring and now works full time on bringing it to life. Wellspring is a centre of wellbeing with the ritual of mikveh at its heart.  Previously, she doubled the size of Finchley Reform and made it a flagship synagogue of the Reform Movement. Her creativity and innovation led to pioneering endeavours in education, prayer services and pastoral work as well as hitting the headlines throughout the pandemic with novel ways of engaging her community whilst keeping them safe.