General description of the work Consultant Cardiologists undertake
The Consultant Cardiologist is a doctor specialising in cardiac or heart problems. He/She looks after patients who have had a heart attack (myocardial infarction), patients who have ischaemic heart disease and angina, patients who have heart failure, heart rhythm problems such as atrial fibrillation, heart block or ectopic beats.
The Consultant Cardiologist is the doctor in charge of patients in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU).


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• The management of patients who have had a heart attack, suffer from angina or heart failure or suffer from long-term ischaemic heart disease.
• Cardiac catheterisation or pacemaker insertion.


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
The Consultant Cardiologist may be known as a Consultant Physician with a special interest in Cardiology. He/She may be known as a Cardiac Consultant or a Heart Specialist.


Usual Qualifications
The Consultant Cardiologist will usually have MRCP or FRCP (Membership or Fellowship of one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians).


Academic Appointments
The Consultant Cardiologist may be a Lecturer or Professor in Medicine or in Cardiology at a Medical School. He/She may be an Examiner for one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians.


Our Experts
The Consultant Cardiologists who prepare reports on medical negligence cases on our behalf are all experienced NHS Consultants. They are in active clinical practice and they are experienced at preparing medico-legal reports. They are willing to attend Court in the UK and Ireland provided that they are given enough notice and that their fees and expenses for attending are agreed in advance.
Each of the Consultant Cardiologists who prepare reports on our behalf has particular areas of clinical interest within cardiology and we match each case with the most appropriate Consultant.


The Report
The Consultant Cardiologists prepare their Reports for the benefit of the Courts. In other words, they prepare unbiased Reports in order to help the Court to decide the case, rather than to help one side or the other.
The Consultant Cardiologists examine all the documentation and details of the case and look at the standard of care that the Client received. They then give their opinion on whether or not the standard of care that the Client received fell below the standard of care he/she should have received.
Where necessary they provide background documentation and information to back-up their opinion.


Documentation required
The most important documentation is the Client’s Hospital Records. This documentation will usually contain their Doctors’ Records, Operation Records, Nursing Records, Out-Patient Clinic Records and Correspondence.
There may be copies of ECGs or Cardiac Ultrasounds or X-rays or CT or MRI scans. If these are related to the event in dispute then copies of these will be of help to the Consultant Cardiologist when he is preparing his Report.
An account of events by the Client and/or the Client’s family will be of assistance to the Consultant Cardiologist. Copies of the patient’s Attendances with their Solicitor will also help to clarify the areas of care that are at issue in the case.


Time-scale for the Report
Once we have confirmation to proceed with the Report the Consultant Cardiologists can usually prepare their Reports within 8 to 10 weeks. If a Report is needed urgently we will endeavour to have it prepared sooner than this.


Price of the Report
Once we receive all the documentation we will provide you with a quotation for the price of the Report from the Consultant Cardiologist. If you decide to go ahead with the Report we will have it prepared and we will forward it to you on receipt of payment.
If you decide not to go ahead with the Report after receiving the quotation we will return all the documentation to you and there is no charge.


Queries on the Report / Addendums
The Reports from the Consultant Cardiologists are usually very clear and give a concise opinion on the standard of care the Client received.
If minor clarifications are needed then these will be provided at no extra cost.
If, after the Report has been completed, additional documentation needs to be examined by the Consultant Cardiologist or if additional work needs to be done in order to provide an Addendum to the Report, then there may be an additional charge. If so, we will inform you of this and only proceed with your approval.


Client Examination
The Consultant Cardiologists do not normally need to see the Client in order to prepare a Report on the standard of care he/she has received. They can usually prepare their Report from the case notes and other documentation.
If the case does progress and a Report is needed on the Client’s current medical condition and/or prognosis for the future, then it is likely that the Client will need to see the Consultant Cardiologist for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.