General description of the work Consultant Rheumatologists undertake
The Consultant Rheumatologist deals with diseases of the bones and joints. These include;
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
• Soft tissue problems such as whiplash and repetitive strain injury (RSI)
• Connective tissue disease
• Ankylosing Spondolysis, Psoaritic Arthritis, Reflex sympathetic dystrophy, fibromyalgia


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• Monitoring and side-effects of medication used for rheumatic disease
• the diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
The Consultant Rheumatologist may also be known as a Consultant in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation.


Usual Qualifications
The Consultant Rheumatologist will have MRCP or FRCP (Membership or Fellowship of one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians) after his/her name.


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


Our Experts
The Consultant Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologists 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 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 Rheumatologist 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 Rheumatologist. 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 Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologist. 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 Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologist 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 Rheumatologists 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 Rheumatologist for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.