Protecting Your Practice: Consent, Claims and Risk Management
Thursday 4th June 2026 @ 7 p.m.
Presenter: Hannah Volpe
Synopsis: Hannah’s talk will give members a practical look at how civil claims arise, what a patient would need to prove, and how therapists can reduce their risk in day-to-day practice.
The session will focus on areas that matter directly to sports massage and soft tissue therapists, including consent, clear communication, working within scope of practice, treating vulnerable clients, and keeping appropriate treatment notes.
Hannah will also share practical examples of claims she has seen, highlighting what went wrong, what could have been done differently, and the key learning points therapists can take back into their own practice.
Biography: Hannah Volpe is ranked as a Leading Partner in Legal 500 and Chambers UK. She has acted for the NHS in England for over 20 years. During this time, Hannah has handled a wide variety of clinical negligence claims on behalf of NHS Trusts, developing expertise in a number of aspects of this work. She has managed a large number of catastrophic claims involving birth injury, spinal and neurological injuries and has advised on a range of complex issues in relation to these.
Hannah also advises on matters involving sexual assault, issues around vicarious liability and non-delegable duty of care.
Hannah also leads a med-mal portfolio, defending high value claims against, for example, chiropractors, osteopaths and therapists.
She is an undisputed expert in the field of hospital acquired infection and MRSA acquisition claims, especially in respect of multi-patient claims arising from outbreaks at hospitals. She leads the work being done by DAC Beachcroft's national health practice for NHS England on the UK Covid-19 public inquiry and has managed the large-scale disclosure process for the client.
Chair of the SMA, Yvonne Blake, will open the event at 7pm. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
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Yvonne Blake
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Hannah Volpe
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We ask you to ONLY register for this event if you are able to attend LIVE.
All SMA Study Events are recorded and made available to eligible members after the event has taken place.
If you are NOT an SMA member, attending this event will cost £25. We will then register you as a Friend of the SMA and you will gain access to all the SMA's live Study Events for the following 12 months.