Managing Allegations of Surgical Malpractice Against a Consultant Surgeon

Challenge

A consultant surgeon at a major NHS Trust faced serious and damaging allegations of surgical malpractice, brought to a national broadcaster by a disgruntled colleague. The allegations formed the basis of an edition of a major investigative news programme, supported by on-camera testimonies from families who believed they had been harmed by the surgeon's practice. The client faced significant personal and professional reputational risk.

Solution

Alder worked closely with the client's healthcare litigation team to mount a rapid and well-evidenced rebuttal. Support included:

- Quickly developing a working knowledge of the relevant surgical practices to ensure the response was technically credible and effective
- Sourcing expert witness testimony to counter the allegations directly
- Working with the NHS Trust's Corporate Affairs team to gather supporting evidence
- Crafting a robust statement of rebuttal and managing dialogue with the broadcaster throughout

Outcome

- The impact of the original programme was substantially mitigated
- A proposed follow-up programme was dropped following further submissions from Alder
- The consultant credited Alder and his legal team with saving his career