About me
As a senior associate in the Health Litigation team, I specialise in defending all types of claims arising from incidents in a health setting; ranging from clinical negligence claims to a wide variety of employers’ and public liability matters.
Representing NHS Resolution on behalf of NHS trusts and insurers on behalf of clinicians acting in a private capacity, I appreciate that clients are incredibly busy, so deal with matters in a proportionate way, thinking outside the box for each claim while providing straightforward and clear advice.
I have experience of various client secondments so consider myself to have a good understanding of the pressures clients face. While the legal advice is a given; I appreciate commercial advice is equally important to clients.
The most rewarding part of my role is achieving a fair outcome for all parties involved. I’d hope that clients would say that I’m personable, down to earth and provide tailored and strategic guidance to any given claim.
Away from the office, I regularly run the Manchester 10km/Half Marathon for NorthCare Charity, who do important work within the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
My experience
- Successfully defended a number of multi-track clinical negligence cases to trial, including a high-value case brought against a North West NHS trust, involving an alleged negligent misdiagnosis of a spinal fracture, which was dismissed following a four-day trial at Liverpool County Court.
- Successfully defended a three-day multi-track clinical negligence trial at Manchester County Court involving an alleged negligent performance of a pericardiocentesis procedure. Despite damages being agreed subject to liability at a very low level, I am willing to take a stand and defend the right cases at trial.
- Successfully defended a high value multi-track employer’s liability case at trial, brought by a management of violence and aggression trainer pleaded under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- Successfully repudiated a claim brought under the Equality Act in 2022, in which it was alleged that the trust unlawfully ejected the claimant from the trust premises for failing to wear a mask (in the height of the coronavirus pandemic). We successfully defended the claims brought for direct discrimination, indirect discrimination (sections 19 and 15 of the Equality Act 2010).
- Acted for a North West trust in 2020; two high profile cases with similar facts, involving assaults of patients by a security guard. Breach of HRA allegations made, together with misfeasance in public office etc. The cases were appropriately settled at a mediation and needed to be managed extremely carefully due to media attention/the claimant being interviewed on television.
- Acted for a variety of trusts in cases where clinical staff have engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships with vulnerable patients, leading to claims for damages and disciplinary issues for the staff involved.
