General description of the work Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons undertake
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon deals with operations and procedures involving the bones and joints. He/She deals with fractures and trauma to the bones as well as reconstructive surgery of the bones and joints. He/She deals with neck and back injuries involving soft tissue as well as ligament injuries and joint reconstruction.
Common fractures dealt with by the Orthopaedic Surgeon include fractured clavicle, rib, scaphoid, humerus, radius, ulna, femur and tibia as well as fractures involving the small bones of the hands and feet.
Reconstructive surgery involves hip and knee replacement operations as well as surgery on the ligaments of the knee, ankle, shoulder and hand.
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon is often involved in the management of patients after a road traffic accident with soft tissue injuries of the neck, back and chest.


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• failure to diagnose a fracture
• poor outcome following a fracture
• infection following a bone operation or procedure
• the management of shoulder injuries
• missed slipped femoral epiphysis
• poor outcome following a hip replacement
• disparity in leg length following a hip replacement
• poor outcome following a knee operation


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
Some Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons deal mainly with trauma patients and their NHS post may be as a Consultant in Accident and Emergency. Some Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons have a special interest in hand, knee, hip, shoulder or ankle surgery. Some have a special interest in operations on children (Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery).


Usual Qualifications
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon will be known as Mr rather than Dr and will have FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) after his name. He may also have FRCS(Orth) (Specialist Fellowship in Orthopaedics) after his name.


Academic Appointments
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon may be a Lecturer or Professor of Orthopaedics at a Medical School. He/She may be an Examiner for one of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons.


Our Experts
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 their fees and expenses for attending are agreed in advance.
Each of the Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons who prepare reports on our behalf has particular areas of clinical interest and we match each case with the most appropriate Consultant.


The Report
The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 are likely to be X-rays and CT or MRI scans. Copies of these will be needed by the Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon 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 Orthopaedic Surgeon. 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 Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 Orthopaedic Surgeon. 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 Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 Orthopaedic Surgeon 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 Orthopaedic Surgeons 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 Orthopaedic Surgeon for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.