Mr Amar Alwitry is a Consultant Ophthalmologist working in the East Midlands. He has a Masters in Medical Law and is a Speciality Advisor to the CQC. He has an active interest in teaching and training in Medicolegal issues delivering lectures around the country on patient safety, learning and consent. He has published three medical texts and two works of fiction. He is also author of "Complaints, Litigation and Clinical Errors" published by Taylor and Francis, a book for all medical and allied professionals.
Kamal joined NHS Resolution in 2014, having previously worked as a defendant clinical negligence solicitor since 2002 for specialist national law firms, acting for a range of clients on advisory and litigation matters. At NHS Resolution Kamal has had experience of operational and technical claims management, including development and leadership of NHS Resolution's innovative Early Notification work prior to moving into the Deputy Director of Claims role in 2019.
Having read Law at the University of Leeds, Chloe completed her LPC at the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice. From there, she trained at RadcliffesLeBrasseur, London, where she developed her interest for Defendant Clinical Negligence work. After a brief hiatus on qualification, working at Eversheds LLP, she moved to Hempsons (Harrogate) and then DAC Beachcroft (Leeds), before commencing her current role as a Legal Director at Clyde and Co (Manchester).
Chloe’s practice focuses predominantly on the highest value, most complex clinical negligence claims. She is also the lead for cases involving fundamental dishonesty and committal proceedings, with significant experience in this area. Chloe is currently involved in a very high-profile group action.
Chloe regularly delivers training and seminars on all aspects of clinical negligence cases and is responsible for training and developing junior members of the team.
Jeremy Platt read Physiological Sciences at Magdalen College, Oxford, and qualified in medicine from the University of Edinburgh. He trained in hospital medicine and haematology in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow before training to be a General Practitioner in Glasgow. He has worked full time as a GP partner at Binfield Surgery, Bracknell, Berkshire for 25 years.
Jeremy has been supplying evidence to Claimant and Defendant solicitors about allegations of General Practitioner Breach of Duty for 10 years and in that time has written around 500 reports. He has attended many conferences with lawyers and expert witness meetings. He has given advice to the General Medical Council to assist in their investigation of over 80 allegations of poor practice.
Jeremy has had a special interest in prescribing, and he has sat on various committees charged with delivering policies for the local NHS bodies in this field for 18 years. He has advised and contributed to the development of policies in all clinical fields and has given advice and support to colleagues whose prescribing data suggested that this was necessary.
Jeremy enjoys travel outside work and is a mad keen golfer.
Mr Panchmatia is a highly motivated and organised Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals, London. He trained at Level 1 UK trauma centres as an orthopaedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon. Mr Panchmatia completed his fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA. He has degrees from Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, and Cambridge University. He has 70+ academic publications and presentations, and has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Mr Panchmatia is an established expert witness and has a mature medico-legal practice. His practice spans all spinal conditions. He is a specialist in serious/ complex high value injuries. Mr Panchmatia is registered with APIL, AvMA, National Crime Agency (NCA) and the UK Register of Expert Witnesses. Mr Panchmatia was awarded Best Spinal Surgery Expert Witness in Acquisition UK's 2024 Expert Witness Awards. He offers nationwide consultations, including home and prison visits.
Dominic is Director of Knowledge at Frenkel Topping.
His specialty is Civil Litigation Procedure. He is a columnist at the ‘New Law Journal’, writes a column for every edition of ‘ Litigation Funding’ and is Special Adviser to the Association of Costs Lawyers.
He advised Lord Justice Jackson with aspects of civil litigation reform from 2010 until Sir Rupert retired in 2018. The Fixed Recoverable Costs reforms of October 2023 were measures he took a serious interest in.
Dominic’s views about legislation to reform the funding of group litigation were cited with approval in the House of Lords second debate in April this year.
Mr Nikhil Shah is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic consultant with special interest in trauma, hip and knee replacements. He is part of the tertiary regional pelvic-acetabular and periprosthetic fracture service. He has won several prestigious awards including the Rothman Ranawat American Hip Society Travelling Fellowship, the Walter Mercer medal and the Edward Burton Memorial Prize. He is well-published in his areas of interest and regularly writes articles in medico-legal and expert witness journals. Mr Shah teaches on many trauma and joint replacement courses, and medico-legal courses. He provides personal injury and clinical negligence reports in his areas of interest.
Clare Stapleton is a Medicolegal Consultant at the London Office of Medical Protection. Before joining MPS she was a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health for 16 years. She was the patient safety lead clinician and also led the mortality review process and set up the Medical Examiner service at Frimley Health.
At Medical Protection she assists members by providing medicolegal advice and supports and advises doctors who are involved in serious incidents, inquests, disciplinary and regulatory investigations.
Sir Andrew Ritchie KC began his 39-year legal career in 1984, being first admitted as a solicitor and then called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1985 (now a Master of the Bench). His practice predominantly focused on personal injury and clinical negligence at 9 Gough Chambers (Deka Chambers, as at 2022), Andrew was head of chambers 2013-2019. He was a long serving member of various legal practice associations and Chair of PIBA 2014-2016. He is the General Editor of Kemp & Kemp. Vols 3 and 4 and wrote legal texts on Asbestos, the MIB and cervical spine injuries. Sir Andrew took silk in 2009 and was appointed as a High Court Judge of the King's Bench Division in 2021.
Mr Amar Alwitry is a Consultant Ophthalmologist working in the East Midlands. He has a Masters in Medical Law and is a Speciality Advisor to the CQC. He has an active interest in teaching and training in Medicolegal issues delivering lectures around the country on patient safety, learning and consent. He has published three medical texts and two works of fiction. He is also author of "Complaints, Litigation and Clinical Errors" published by Taylor and Francis, a book for all medical and allied professionals.
Stephen qualified from Liverpool University in 1983 and spent a period in Liverpool undertaking a general medical rotation. He then trained in oncology in Cardiff and Cambridge becoming a Consultant in Bristol in 1994. He also has sessional commitments at Southmead Hospital, Bristol and attends Genesis Care
His major clinical interest is gastro-intestinal cancer (oesophagus, stomach, pancreas and colo-rectal). A further interest in lung cancer and clinical research was stimulated as a MRC Clincial Scientist in Norman Bleehens' unit in Cambridge where the MRC Cancer Trials Unit was situated at the time. A MD related to lung cancer and scheduling of topoisomerase poisons with and without radiation is the basis of on-going interest in chemo-radiation interactions.
Stephen has a major interest in research and has been past director of the local clinical research network
Natalie is a senior nursing professional with 33 years of experience within the NHS and private sector, including extensive clinical management experience. She brings a wealth of expertise spanning orthopaedics, brain injury, spinal injury, surgery, and medicine.
Having extensive case management experience, including undertaking immediate needs assessments, and devising lifestyle plans, Natalie is highly proficient in implementing and managing support for the catastrophically injured and possesses a rigorous knowledge of the NHS and supporting statutory bodies.
Natalie has over a decade of experience as an Expert Witness and is frequently instructed on catastrophic injury cases, including those involving brain injury, spinal cord injury, general orthopaedics, amputations, and challenging behaviours. She has worked directly with Pain Management Teams. Natalie prepares Care Reports for both claimants and defendants, relating to standards of nursing and care, acceptable practice and risk management. She is fully trained in Civil Procedure Rules and has given evidence in court.
Jennifer is a Legal Director and clinical negligence claims expert at Capsticks LLP, the go to firm for healthcare providers. She specialises in claims of the utmost severity including hypoxic brain damage, spinal nerve injuries and multi-limb amputations. Jennifer is also the claims division mediation lead and is passionate about delivering fair and fast resolution of clinical claims to the benefit of all concerned. She regularly represents NHS organisations at mediations and delivers training to lawyers and senior medical personnel to ensure they understand the importance of the process in rebuilding relationships between patients, their families and the NHS.
Simon Hammond joined the NHS Resolution Senior Management Team on 7 January 2019 as the Director of Claims Management. Simon has a wide variety of experience in handling claims having worked for the insurance industry for over 25 years.
Simon held head of fraud roles at national law firms, before joining his previous employer, BLM, in 2009. He was promoted to associate solicitor in 2010 and to partner in 2011.
Simon has experience of handling all aspects of claims, from policy interpretation, indemnity issues, litigation and prosecution matters. He sat on the Personal Injury Sub Working Group of the Treasury’s Insurance Fraud Task Force, and has also presented at national conferences and edited a chapter of a leading insurance text book.
More recently Simon has chaired national conferences on the subject of Clinical Negligence and has given evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on the subject of NHS litigation reform.
Hugh Johnson is a Partner and clinical negligence specialist at Stewarts. He qualified in 2005, joining Stewarts in 2008.
Hugh represents claimants who have sustained life changing injuries, predominantly to the brain or spinal cord. Those injuries may have been sustained in a range of clinical settings and include both alleged failures treatment and failures to make a diagnosis. An increasing element of his work includes claims arising in a mental health setting.
Hugh is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and the Royal Society of Medicine. He has published a number of articles and lectured on topics to include patient safety and litigation reform.
Dominic is Director of Knowledge at Frenkel Topping.
His specialty is Civil Litigation Procedure. He is a columnist at the ‘New Law Journal’, writes a column for every edition of ‘ Litigation Funding’ and is Special Adviser to the Association of Costs Lawyers.
He advised Lord Justice Jackson with aspects of civil litigation reform from 2010 until Sir Rupert retired in 2018. The Fixed Recoverable Costs reforms of October 2023 were measures he took a serious interest in.
Dominic’s views about legislation to reform the funding of group litigation were cited with approval in the House of Lords second debate in April this year.
Mr Nikhil Shah is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic consultant with special interest in trauma, hip and knee replacements. He is part of the tertiary regional pelvic-acetabular and periprosthetic fracture service. He has won several prestigious awards including the Rothman Ranawat American Hip Society Travelling Fellowship, the Walter Mercer medal and the Edward Burton Memorial Prize. He is well-published in his areas of interest and regularly writes articles in medico-legal and expert witness journals. Mr Shah teaches on many trauma and joint replacement courses, and medico-legal courses. He provides personal injury and clinical negligence reports in his areas of interest.
Clare Stapleton is a Medicolegal Consultant at the London Office of Medical Protection. Before joining MPS she was a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health for 16 years. She was the patient safety lead clinician and also led the mortality review process and set up the Medical Examiner service at Frimley Health.
At Medical Protection she assists members by providing medicolegal advice and supports and advises doctors who are involved in serious incidents, inquests, disciplinary and regulatory investigations.
Dominic has specialised in costs law since 2002, with a particular focus on high-value complex clinical negligence actions, industrial disease and all forms of employer's liability. Though based in the North of England, Dominic has attended costs hearings across the length and breadth of the country, and since 2013 increasingly appearing at the High Court in London as demand for specialist attendance at Costs Case Management Conferences has grown.
Dominic has a broad perspective on costs issues having represented a number of Claimant and Defendant practices over the years, and with a keen eye for detail, is a well-regarded educator in the ever-evolving costs industry, often engaged for training by law and costs firms alike.
Dr Spencer is Consultant Psychiatrist at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the Pain Management Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He qualified from the University of Cambridge, and completed his training in Cambridge and Edinburgh. He has lectured at the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, and he has practised as a Consultant Psychiatrist since 2008. He was awarded the Donald Cohen Fellowship by the European Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2007, the Clinician Scientist Fellowship by the MRC in 2008 and was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2016.
Dr Spencer has a particular interest in the interactions that can exist between physical and psychological conditions, particularly in chronic pain and psychological trauma. He has worked in NHS multidisciplinary pain clinics, has served as a Council Member of the Pain Section at the Royal Society of Medicine, is a Senior Fellow of the London Pain Forum, a member of the British Pain Society, the British Neuropsychiatric Association and the European Association of Psychosomatic Medicine and of its Chronic Pain Special Interest Group, and a founding member of the Functional Neurological Disorder Society. Dr Spencer has prepared CPR Part 35 compliant expert witness reports for the Court since 2012, in personal injury and clinical negligence work. He has been a co-organiser of the Cambridge Annual Medico-Legal Conference since 2014.
Since March 2020 Dr Spencer has worked as Consultant Psychiatrist at the mental health First Response Service covering Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (which he joined in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to work on the front-line in mental health during the time of crisis), where he has broad and varied clinical exposure to a range of psychiatric presentations across the lifespan.
Sir Edward Pepperall was called to the Bar in 1989, appointed a recorder in 2009, Queen's Counsel in 2013, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2016 (Queen's Bench & Chancery) and a Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Falklands Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in 2017. He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2018 and sits in the Queen's Bench Division. He is a judge of the Technology & Construction Court and a Presiding Judge of the Midland Circuit. Sir Edward practised from St Philips Chambers in Birmingham and London, where he was a Deputy Head of Chambers, Chairman of the Commercial Group and Chairman of the Midland Chancery & Commercial Bar Association. He was a barrister member of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee for six years and was the chief architect of the 2015 reforms to Part 36. He is an editor of the White Book and a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn.
After graduating University, Alex has worked exclusively within the clinical negligence sector alongside expert witnesses, insurers and legal professionals. This work has been to promote the use of technology in the sector to drive efficiencies, analytics and patient safety improvements.
Overseeing the day-to-day running of a company reviewing 750 cases of alleged negligence a month Alex has developed a key understanding of the nuances of the sector and how technology can be utilised to help all involved.
Isabel is a specialist in catastrophic injury claims involving brain and spinal injured claimants and also has extensive clinical negligence experience, with expertise developed over 20 years. During the past 7 years, Isabel has concentrated her practice on foreign jurisdiction claims for both claimants and defendants and on inquest and inquiry work. Isabel's expertise includes European law cases but also cases in other jurisdictions outside the European Union including the US, Australia, Africa, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The current trend of cosmetic surgery cases abroad is also serving to generate cross-border clinical claims.
Isabel has experience of providing personal representation and advocacy on behalf of families at inquests and giving support via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with Victim Support for advice and family liaison for families subject to homicide abroad. Isabel facilitates legal support from an extensive network of foreign lawyers so that families may have legal advice abroad and representation at foreign criminal trials. Isabel has significant expertise of inquest hearings, notably as a Recognised Legal Representative to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which is subject to Article 2 of the ECHR. Isabel's clinical negligence experience includes acting for protected parties and she was recently involved with the Court of Protection and the Official Solicitor on the settlement of a case at £7.6 million.
Isabel also lectures and trains consultants and expert witnesses on clinical negligence cases and inquests. In her role as a Solicitor Advocate at Inquests, Isabel will provide an update to the media outside court.
Caroline is the former Head of Regional and International Claims at the Medical Protection Society with 30 years collective experience, firstly as a litigation lawyer and subsequently in claims management, working with medical and dental clinicians, experts and lawyers in the UK and overall 20 countries around the world. Since 2019, she has been a Consultant in Medico-Legal risk management and education focusing on understanding, and how to meet, the challenges of today's risk management landscape, from first contact with a patient to the outcome of a claim, complaint or inquest.
Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHSFT and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer
Chris has over 30 years’ experience as a doctor. He trained in general internal medicine, microbiology/virology and anaesthesia before switching to intensive care medicine. In 2002 he was appointed as consultant intensive physician, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital before moving to University Hospital Southampton in December 2020. His practice is in General and Neuro Intensive Care Medicine. Chris also has academic roles at the University of Southampton, Kings College London and the University of Reading. His research interests are in complex decision making related to serious medical treatment. Chris has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine for exceptional services to the science and practice of Forensic and Legal Medicine.
Associate Solicitor in the Clinical Risk department at DAC Beachcroft, Leeds, acting on behalf of NHS Resolution in defence of clinical negligence claims. Responsible for a varied caseload, including birth injury, cauda equina and amputation claims and a particular interest in advising on claims involving fundamental dishonesty/fraudulent exaggeration, with experience of contempt of court proceedings arising out of the same.
Simon Hammond joined the NHS Resolution Senior Management Team on 7 January 2019 as the Director of Claims Management. Simon has a wide variety of experience in handling claims having worked for the insurance industry for over 25 years.
Simon held head of fraud roles at national law firms, before joining his previous employer, BLM, in 2009. He was promoted to associate solicitor in 2010 and to partner in 2011.
Simon has experience of handling all aspects of claims, from policy interpretation, indemnity issues, litigation and prosecution matters. He sat on the Personal Injury Sub Working Group of the Treasury’s Insurance Fraud Task Force, and has also presented at national conferences and edited a chapter of a leading insurance text book.
More recently Simon has chaired national conferences on the subject of Clinical Negligence and has given evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on the subject of NHS litigation reform.
Laura's work encompasses all areas of clinical practice, acting for both claimants and defendants. She is very experienced in cases involving catastrophic injury, including brain and spinal injury. She has a particular interest in novel legal issues and has appeared recently in the Court of Appeal and High Court in leading cases involving questions of consent and the duty of care owed to secondary victims. She has particular expertise in claims involving obstetrics and gynaecology with recent instructions spanning emergency care, oncology, opthalmics, general surgery, colorectal surgery, cardiology and cardiac surgery, mental health and cosmetic surgery.
Anirudh has a keen interest in clinical negligence and has experience of drafting statements of case, schedules and counter-schedules of loss, and advices on both liability and quantum. He has been exposed to a range of complex medical claims including birth injuries, failure to diagnose cauda equina syndrome and delayed diagnosis of cancer. Recent work includes drafting a Particulars of Claim alleging a failure to diagnose heart failure, advising and drafting a Defence responding to allegations of dental negligence, and advising on several multi-defendant clinical negligence claims, including alleged failures to diagnose bowel and cervical cancer.
Mr Parker is a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, previously at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield and now at Peak Medical Practice in the Hope Valley, Derbyshire and based in the Clinical Sciences Block at Huntbridge Hall, Matlock. After qualifying from Leeds Medical School in 1981, he undertook Registrar and post-graduate research training in Bristol before becoming Senior Registrar to the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in 1988 and then obtaining his Consultant appointment in 1992.
He is currently in NHS and private practice in the High Peak area of Derbyshire, centred upon Chapel-en-le Frith and Sheffield. Mr Parker has been Programme Director for the North Trent ENT training rotation and Lead clinician for Head and Neck cancer at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. He is a member of the Court of Examiners at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Mr Parker has engaged in busy medico-legal practice from the early 1990s, concentrating on the areas of personal injury, acoustic shock, whiplash, noise induced hearing loss, voice disorder and occupational rhinosinusitis.
Georgina Parkin is the Managing Director and co-owner of Truth Legal solicitors, based in Harrogate and Leeds. Truth Legal specialises in personal injury, clinical negligence, professional negligence, family law, immigration law and employment law. The firm’s website (truthlegal.com) has a wealth of legal information and ranks as one of the best-read law blogs in the country, with a readership of around 40,000 per month.
Georgina joined Truth Legal in 2013, rapidly rising to the position of Director in 2016 and Managing Director in 2020. In January 2021, Georgina became co-owner of Truth Legal. She was President of the Harrogate and District Law Society in 2020 and continues to sit on the membership committee of the Harrogate and District Law Society.
Georgina has over ten years of experience in personal injury law, which includes claims for accidents at work, road traffic accidents, assaults at work, public liability, product liability and clinical negligence. Whilst Georgina acts solely for Claimants at Truth Legal, she has previously represented Defendant insurance companies and retail organisations. She has particular expertise in chronic pain disorders and serious injury cases.
Dominic is Director of Knowledge at Frenkel Topping.
His specialty is Civil Litigation Procedure. He is a columnist at the ‘New Law Journal’, writes a column for every edition of ‘Litigation Funding’ and is Special Adviser to the Association of Costs Lawyers.
He advised Lord Justice Jackson with aspects of civil litigation reform from 2010 until Sir Rupert retired in 2018. The Fixed Recoverable Costs reforms of October 2023 were measures he took a serious interest in .
Dominic’s views about legislation to reform the funding of group litigation were cited with approval in the House of Lords second debate in April this year.
I have worked in the automotive industry for over 20 years and have been with Personal Mobility Solutions for 5 years. I have a background in litigation and worked for a leading car hire company as a Litigation Manager. Wanting to expand my qualifications I studied as a counsellor and spent time working on an all-female acute forensic ward with patients of varying mental and physical ability under the Mental Health and Mental Capacity Act. On average I see 3-4 clients a week for both passenger and driver need including all wheelchair accessible vehicle requirements.
Clare Stapleton is a Medicolegal Consultant at the London Office of Medical Protection. Before joining MPS she was a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health for 16 years. She was the patient safety lead clinician and also led the mortality review process and set up the Medical Examiner service at Frimley Health.
At Medical Protection she assists members by providing medicolegal advice and supports and advises doctors who are involved in Serious Incidents, inquests, disciplinary and regulatory investigations.
I am in clinical practice as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in London and Berkshire. I was appointed as a full time NHS Consultant in 1996 at Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals. I qualified in Medicine at Imperial College London (Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School) in 1988. My clinical practice is in knee surgery, sports injuries and paediatric orthopaedics. My specialist interest is arthroscopic knee surgery, ACL reconstruction, lower limb trauma and rehabilitation after amputation surgery. I have been in medico-legal practice since 1992. My medico-legal practice is in both Berkshire and London. I am regularly instructed on behalf of claimants, defendants and as a single joint expert in personal injury and clinical negligence.
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