General description of the work of a Consultant Oncologist
The Consultant Oncologist deals with the management and treatment of patients with cancer. He/She is involved in the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat and alleviate the effects of cancer.
Consultant Oncologists usually have expertise in specific types of cancers such as breast cancer, skin cancers such as malignant melanomas and squamus cell carcinoma, lung cancer, leukaemias, Hodgkin’s disease, lymphomas, thyroid cancers, bowel cancer, stomach cancer, oesophageal cancer, oral cancer. brain tumours and gynaecological cancers such as cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. Some Oncologists will have particular expertise in childhood cancers.


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• delay in the diagnosis of cancer, especially breast cancer
• prognosis issues related to the delay in detection of cancer
• medication issues in chemotherapy
• side effects of medications


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
The Consultant Oncologist may also be known as a Consultant Clinical Oncologist or as a Consultant in Cancer Medicine.


Usual Qualifications
The Consultant Oncologist may have MRCP or FRCP (Member or Fellow of one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians) or FRCR (Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists) or FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) after his/her name.


Academic Appointments
The Consultant Oncologist may be a Lecturer or Professor in Oncology or in Cancer Medicine. He/She may be an Examiner for one of the Royal Colleges.


Our Experts
The Consultant Oncologists 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 Oncologists 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 Oncologists 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 Oncologists 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 Oncologist 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 Oncologist. 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 Consultant Oncologists 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 Oncologist. 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 Oncologists 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 Oncologist 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 Oncologists 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 Oncologist for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.