Blog - Page 5 of 8 - Medico Legal Healthcare

September 17, 2025

Assessing Capacity to Litigate: How and When to Involve the Solicitors

In medico-legal practice, assessing an individual’s capacity to litigate is a critical step when questions arise about their ability to understand and engage in legal proceedings. This is especially relevant in cases involving acquired brain injury, cognitive impairment, mental illness, or developmental disorders. While the assessment is typically carried out by a clinician—such as a...

September 16, 2025

Instructing Multidisciplinary Teams to Provide Expert Witness Opinions: Pearls and Pitfalls

In complex medico-legal cases—such as those involving acquired brain injury, neurological disorders, or long-term disability—it is often necessary to obtain expert opinions from multiple healthcare disciplines. Whether solicitors choose to instruct each expert separately or as a jointly instructed multidisciplinary team (MDT), both approaches offer distinct advantages and potential drawbacks. Understanding how to instruct an...

Clinical and Educational Psychologists as neuropsychology experts

September 15, 2025

Clinical Psychologists and Educational Psychologists as Neuropsychological Experts: When Do You Need Them?

In complex cases involving neurological, cognitive, or developmental concerns, clinical and educational psychologists can play a vital role as neuropsychological experts. Their assessments and insights can help clarify cognitive functioning, emotional wellbeing, and learning needs, providing crucial evidence for medical, educational, or legal decision-making. But knowing when to involve these professionals can be challenging. In...

Critical care nurse in medico-legal disputes

September 11, 2025

Critical Care Nurse Specialists in Medico-Legal Cases: Interpreting ICU Records and Escalation of Care

When medico-legal disputes arise from intensive care treatment, the expertise of critical care nurse specialists can be decisive. These highly trained professionals understand not only the technical delivery of care in the most acute settings but also the importance of timely documentation and escalation of concerns. As expert witnesses, they help courts and legal teams...

September 10, 2025

Neuropsychiatrists as Expert Witnesses: In Fitness to Plead and Criminal Responsibility Cases

In criminal proceedings, courts are often faced with complex questions about whether a defendant is capable of standing trial or whether their mental health condition influenced their behaviour at the time of an alleged offence. These questions go beyond legal definitions and require specialist medical expertise. Here, the role of the neuropsychiatrist as an expert...

September 9, 2025

Safeguarding Mothers and Infants: Midwives as Expert Witnesses in Medico-Legal Disputes

Midwives play a central role in maternity care, guiding mothers and infants safely through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. Their work often extends beyond routine clinical monitoring to safeguarding both physical and emotional wellbeing. In medico-legal disputes, particularly those involving allegations of negligence, maternal death, or infant harm, the expertise of midwives as expert...

Orthopaedic Surgeons for workplace injuries

September 8, 2025

Workplace Injuries and Return-to-Work Decisions: Orthopaedic Surgeons as Expert Witnesses

Workplace injuries are among the most common causes of personal injury and occupational claims. From repetitive strain and lifting injuries to fractures sustained in industrial accidents, the physical consequences can be long-lasting and life-changing. When these cases reach the courtroom, one of the key questions is whether the injured individual can return to work, and...

Educational Psychologist in abuse claims

September 5, 2025

Beyond Diagnosis: Why Educational Psychologists Are Vital in Abuse Litigation

In medico-legal cases involving historical abuse, particularly where educational detriment is claimed – the question of which expert to instruct is more than just procedural. A recent case (IMX v L [2024] EWHC 2183 (KB)) has made this abundantly clear: when academic loss is central to the claim, courts need more than psychiatric diagnosis, they need educational expertise...

Neuropsychologists for Mental Capacity Assessment

September 4, 2025

Mental Capacity After Traumatic Brain Injury: The Neuropsychologist’s Role as Expert Witness

In cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), questions surrounding mental capacity often emerge- particularly when individuals must make important decisions about medical treatment, financial matters, or legal representation. These decisions carry significant consequences, and when the brain has been affected by trauma, assessing the individual’s ability to understand, retain, and weigh up information becomes essential....

September 3, 2025

A Neuropsychiatrist’s Role in Medico-Legal Proceedings

Neuropsychiatrists are dual-trained specialists who bridge neurology and psychiatry. In court proceedings, they are frequently instructed to provide independent, expert opinions in cases involving: Risk Assessment in Complex Cases Neuropsychiatrists offer nuanced evaluations of clinical and forensic risk. Drawing from psychiatric history, neurocognitive profiles, and contextual information, they assess the likelihood of harm to self...