Dr Edward Fathers MB BChir (Cantab) MA FRCP, is a Consultant Neurologist. After completing training at Cambridge University and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, Dr Fathers qualified in 1990, before becoming a Consultant in 2000. He now works at Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital, part of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, combining neurology outpatient clinics with the running a 15-bed inpatient neurology unit.
A member of the team for over two years, Dr Fathers specialises in general neurology and multiple sclerosis, bringing his twenty years of expertise as a Consultant Neurologist to personal injury and medical negligence case for NRC Medial Experts.
Dr Fathers feels that combining medico-legal casework with consulting allows him to both share his expertise and be more aware of where things can go wrong, better informing his day to day medical practice. He tells us,
“Seeing people in their own homes allows me to see a person’s disability in the context of their own environment, giving me rounded understanding of who they are and how their injury or illness has an impact on their life.”
Mainly based in London and the South West, Dr Fathers explains,
“I’m usually able to see clients within two or three weeks, so it can be a quick turnaround in order to help solicitors with their cases. With complex medical negligence cases, I find it both interesting and rewarding to gather all the relevant facts from the records and evidence available and then summarise it in a way that makes sense of it all. Having had 20 years of frontline service as an NHS consultant, I can usually understand the thought processes that have taken place, and then explain it in layman’s terms.”
Being able to explain complex medical terms in language which the courts can understand is a key skill of a medico-legal expert. Dr Fathers explains,
“It’s important to me that I can communicate the details without using lots of jargon – and where I do need to use complex terms, I make sure to explain them well. As a medico-legal expert, I write detailed and thorough reports which are clear and succinct. I’m pleased to have received very positive feedback from solicitors.”
When it comes to the impartiality of providing court reports, Dr Fathers explains;
“As an expert witness neurologist, I’m writing my reports for the court only. So, while I have a natural empathy with the client and their case, my reports are impartial and accurate, so the court can make the right decision with all the available information.”
Instruct Dr Edward Fathers, Consultant Neurologist, as a medical expert witness.