General description of the work Nurses undertake
Nurses deal with the care and management of patients in hospital, in nursing homes and in the community. They work alongside doctors and they deal with wound dressings, wound care, leg ulcers, infections, medication, injections and general procedures on the hospital wards.


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• Patient having a fall or other injury while under nursing care, either in hospital or in a
residential or nursing home
• Problems with bandaging and other procedures carried out by nurses
• Medication dispensing errors by nurses


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
Many Nurses have clinical areas of specialisation. They may work exclusively in Psychiatric care in the community and be known as a Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs). They may work exclusively with children and be known as Paediatric Nurses.
Some Nurses work in one particular disease area such as diabetes or cardiology and may be known as a Diabetes Nurse or as a Cardiology Nurse.


Usual Qualifications
Nurses will usually have RGN (Registered General Nurse) after their name. They may have additional diplomas and qualifications depending on their area of specialisation.


Academic Appointments
The Nursing Expert may hold a Lectureship or Professorship in Nursing.


Our Experts
The Nursing Experts who prepare reports on medical negligence cases on our behalf 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 Nursing Experts who prepare reports on our behalf has particular areas of experience and clinical interest within her practice and we match each case with the most appropriate Nursing Expert.


The Report
The Nursing Experts 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 Nursing Experts 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 Nursing Records. This will contain information on the nursing contact and nursing care that the Client received.
The Client’s GP and Hospital Records will also be of help to the Nursing Expert when she is preparing her Report.
An account of events by the Client and/or the Client’s family will be of assistance to the Nursing Expert. Copies of the Client’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 Nursing Experts 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 Nursing Expert. 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 Nursing Experts 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 Nursing Expert 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 Nursing Experts 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.