| Title: | Operating within the Law - A practical guide for surgeons and lawyers |
| Authors: | By Bruce Campbell MS FRCP FRCS Consultant in Vascular and General Surgery, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, and Honorary Professor to the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK, Ken Callum MS FRCS Consultant General and Vascular Surgeon at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, Derby, UK, Nicholas A Peacock MA (Cantab) Barrister Barrister at the Chambers of Kieran Coonan QC, 6 Pump Court, Temple, London, UK |
| Description: | The primary aim of this book is to provide clear and concise explanations about all aspects of the medico-legal process for surgeons, other doctors and lawyers. A wide range of topics is covered including: how the medico-legal arena is changing; the legal principles involved; how to avoid medico-legal problems; resolving complaints out of court; the surgeon as defendant; the surgeon as expert; the GMC and the Coroner. Authors: Professor Bruce Campbell MS, FRCP, FRCS, is a Consultant in Vascular and General Surgery, and Honorary Professor to the University of Exeter. He has written and lectured extensively on arterial and venous disease, including medico-legal aspects of varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis, and palliative care. He has been involved for many years in clinical audit, risk management and writing information for patients. Ken Callum MS, FRCS, has been a Consultant General and Vascular Surgeon at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary for 25 years. He has been an FRCS examiner for the last 10 years and has written widely on aspects of general and vascular surgery. He is surgical co-ordinator for the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths (NCEPOD) and for many years has had an interest in medico-legal matters, particularly prevention of litigation. Nicholas A. Peacock MA (Cantab), Barrister, read Law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He qualified as a barrister in 1992 and has practised since then at the Chambers of Kieran Coonan QC, 6 Pump Court, Temple, London. He specialises in all aspects of medical law and has written and lectured on many medico-legal issues. * The bill to be faced by the NHS for clinical negligence claims is estimated to be £2.8 billion (1). * It is estimated that the number of settled claims increased by 7% annually between 1990 and 1998 (2). * Over the last three decades only 30-40% of medico-legal claims have resulted in settlement (2,3). Every doctor can expect legal action on at least two occasions in their professional lifetime. 1. Published by the Public Accounts Committee in 2000. 2. Fenn P, Diacon S, Gray A, Hodges R, Rickman N. Current cost of medical negligence in NHS hospitals: analysis of claims database. BMJ 2000; 320: 1567-71. 3. Palmer R. Medical negligence - causes, trends and lessons. Health Care Risk Report 1998 (October); 1-2. |