Screening report
A concise preliminary view on whether anaesthetic care fell below a reasonable standard, to help decide whether a claim should proceed.
Medico-legal reports in anaesthesia
Independent expert opinion in obstetric, neurosurgical and general anaesthesia.
I am a practising NHS Consultant Anaesthetist at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, with an interest in obstetric and neurosurgical anaesthesia. I accept instructions for CPR Part 35 reports for claimant and defendant solicitors, and for inquests.
RegistrationGMC 7325368 · Specialist Register, Anaesthetics
QualificationsMD (2008) · PhD (2012) · FRCA (2016)
Expert witness trainingCardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate (in progress, expected January 2027)
GovernanceICO ZC254579 · Medico-legal indemnity, Medical Defence Union
About
I have been a consultant anaesthetist with an interest in obstetric and neurosurgical anaesthesia since 2020. I have regular sessions on the delivery suite at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, a unit with around 5,000 births a year. My clinical work covers labour analgesia, anaesthesia for operative birth and the care of women with complex medical conditions in pregnancy.
I am the Clinical Governance Anaesthesia Lead for the Maternity Directorate. In this role I review cases and serious incidents and contribute to learning reports. Alongside my commitment to obstetric anaesthesia, I have regular sessions in anaesthesia for neurosurgery and colorectal surgery.
I assess maternal deaths across the UK for MBRRACE-UK. I am Honorary Treasurer of the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association and contribute to national and international guidelines in obstetric anaesthesia (see my CV for details). I am a keen educator and, as Training Programme Director, I oversee the postgraduate training of anaesthesia residents across Wales.
Every case I accept receives careful, unhurried attention, and I report only on care that falls within my current practice and expertise.
Current roles
- Consultant Anaesthetist, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff
- Clinical Governance Anaesthesia Lead, Maternity Directorate
- MBRRACE-UK Assessor
- Honorary Treasurer, Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association
- Executive Editor, Anaesthesia Reports
- Training Programme Director, HEIW
Memberships
- Royal College of Anaesthetists
- Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association
- Association of Anaesthetists
Areas of expertise
I report on obstetric, neurosurgical, general and regional anaesthesia, and on related medico-legal and professional issues.
Obstetric anaesthesia
- Pain relief in labour, including epidurals
- Regional and general anaesthesia for caesarean section, including pain during surgery and awareness
- Airway management and tracheal intubation
- Complications of anaesthesia: post-dural puncture headache, epidural blood patch, nerve injury
- Obstetric emergencies: haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia, sepsis, amniotic fluid embolism, maternal collapse and death
- High-risk pregnancy, co-morbidities and the critically ill obstetric patient
- Antenatal assessment and consent
Show the full list (24 topics)
- Accidental awareness under general anaesthesia
- Airway management during general anaesthesia
- Amniotic fluid embolism
- Antenatal and pre-operative assessment
- Any form of pain relief in labour
- Care of the critically ill obstetric patient
- Co-morbidities during pregnancy
- Complications of regional or general anaesthesia
- Consent in obstetric anaesthesia
- Epidural blood patch
- Epidurals for pain relief in labour
- General anaesthesia for caesarean section
- High-risk pregnancy
- Maternal collapse
- Maternal death
- Nerve injury
- Pain during caesarean section
- Post-dural puncture headache
- Postpartum haemorrhage
- Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
- Regional anaesthesia for caesarean section
- Sepsis in pregnancy
- Spinal anaesthesia
- Tracheal intubation
General anaesthesia
- Airway complications, including failed intubation, aspiration and dental injury
- Intra-operative management, monitoring standards and equipment safety
- Drug errors, adverse drug reactions and anaphylaxis
- Awareness, cardiac arrest and death during surgery
- Pre-operative assessment, risk communication and consent
- Postoperative care, pain and complications, including failure to recognise deterioration
- Neurosurgical and colorectal anaesthesia, sedation, vascular access and massive transfusion
Show the full list (27 topics)
- Airway management complications (failed intubation, aspiration, difficult airway)
- Allegations of negligence in the conduct of anaesthesia
- Anaesthetic drug errors and adverse drug reactions, including anaphylaxis
- Awareness under anaesthesia
- Cardiac arrest management and rescue of the deteriorating patient
- Colorectal anaesthesia
- Death during surgery
- Dental injury during airway management
- Epidural analgesia
- Equipment use and safety (e.g. ventilators, infusion devices)
- Intra-operative anaesthetic management and monitoring standards
- Intra-operative cardiovascular management
- Invasive anaesthetic procedures (arterial lines, central venous lines, dialysis lines, IV access)
- Management of massive transfusion
- Multidisciplinary team communication and handover
- Neurosurgical anaesthesia
- Peri-operative risk communication and consent
- Postoperative care and recovery (e.g. failure to recognise deterioration)
- Postoperative cognitive dysfunction
- Postoperative complications (e.g. nausea and vomiting, delayed recovery)
- Postoperative pain management
- Pre-operative assessment and optimisation
- Rapid sequence induction and emergency airway management
- Recognition and management of complications
- Sedation
- Spinal anaesthesia
- Vascular access and line insertion
Medico-legal and professional issues
- Coroner’s inquests
- Duty of candour and communication with patients and families
- Fitness to practise and professional conduct in anaesthesia
- Review of clinical governance and guideline adherence
- Standards of documentation and consent
Reports and services
Claimant, defendant and single joint expert instructions accepted.
Breach of duty and causation
A full report on standard of care and, where relevant, causation, prepared in accordance with CPR Part 35 and Practice Direction 35.
Written questions
Answers to Part 35 questions put on my report by any party, within the timescale set by the court.
Joint statements
Experts’ discussions and joint statements with the opposing anaesthetic expert.
Court and inquest
Giving evidence at trial, and assisting HM Coroner at inquests.
How to instruct
My medico-legal admin representative, Medical & Legal Admin Services (MLAS), handles new instructions on my behalf. Terms of business are set by MLAS and agreed with you when you instruct.
- 1Send a brief outline, the names of the parties and the hospital involved, so I can check for conflicts of interest.
- 2MLAS confirms availability and any conflicts, and agrees terms with you before work begins.
- 3Send your letter of instruction and paginated, indexed records to MLAS, preferably electronic and by secure transfer.
- 4Your report is usually delivered within 4–6 weeks. The timescale is confirmed once I have reviewed your instructions, and I am happy to discuss the report once you have read it.
Independence and professional standards
My duty is to the court
My overriding duty is to the court, whoever instructs me. I follow CPR Part 35, the GMC’s guidance on providing expert evidence, and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ guidance on acting as an expert witness.
In current practice
I have regular sessions on the delivery suite and in neurosurgical and colorectal theatres. My medico-legal work is part of the whole scope of practice I declare for annual appraisal and revalidation, and is covered by medico-legal indemnity with the Medical Defence Union.
Your data
Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ZC254579). Case papers and records are held and managed by MLAS, and I do not keep my own copies once a case ends. See the website privacy notice.
Send an instruction
For new instructions, conflict checks or questions about a report, please contact my medico-legal admin representative.
- Medico-legal admin representative
- Medical & Legal Admin Services (MLAS)
- Telephone
- 0114 245 5423
- enquiries@mlas.co.uk