General description of the work Consultant Haematologists undertake
The Consultant Haematologist is a doctor specialising in blood conditions. He/She deals with illnesses such as clotting problems, bleeding disorders, thrombophilia, leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, Hodgkin’s disease and bone marrow problems.
He/she also deals with blood transfusions and warfarin and heparin treatments.


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• Problems related to blood transfusions
• Bleeding disorders and warfarin and heparin treatments
• The diagnosis and management of leukaemia
• The transmission of blood borne infections in blood transfusions or in the transfusion of blood products.


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
The Consultant Haematologist may also be known as a Consultant Clinical Haematologist.
The Consultant Haematologist may have a particular interest in bleeding or clotting disorders or in cancers involving the blood.


Usual Qualifications
The Consultant Haematologist will have FRCPath (Fellowship of one of the Royal Colleges of Pathologists) after his name.


Academic Appointments
The Consultant Haematologist may be a Lecturer or Professor in Medicine or in Haematology. He/She may be an Examiner for the Royal College of Pathologists or one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians.


Our Experts
The Consultant Haematologists 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 Haematologists who prepare reports on our behalf has particular areas of clinical interest within his/her practice and we match each case with the most appropriate Consultant.


The Report
The Consultant Haematologists 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 Haematologists 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, Records of Blood Tests and Investigations and Correspondence.
There may be copies 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 Haematologist when he/she is preparing his/her Report.
An account of events by the Client and/or the Client’s family will be of assistance to the Consultant Haematologist. 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 Haematologists 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 Haematologist. 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 Haematologists 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 Haematologist 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 Haematologists 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 the Client may need to be seen by the Consultant Haematologist for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.