Shoosmiths serious injury podcasts

Inquest process and care home claims

In episode 7 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Sarah Cunliffe and Sharon Banga meet with Ropewalk Chambers barrister, Gareth McAloon, to discuss the inquest process and how this operates in cases involving Personal Injury claims in a care home setting.

The episode hopes to provide an introduction to the inquest process which we will build upon in future episodes.   

This episode covers:

• Inquests and when they arise.
• Discussion around specific Shoosmiths Serious Injury case examples.  
• Benefits of the inquest process in civil litigation including useful information for families entering into the inquest process.
• The evidence gathered and preparation needed for the inquest and an overview as to the process undertaken during an inquest.  

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

Medical Negligence and Court of Protection crossover

In episode 6 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Lucy Taylor, Rebecca Bristow, Amy Greaves and Sharon Banga discuss circumstances and cases where the practice areas of Medical negligence and the Court of Protection (COP) overlap. 

The episode hopes to provide valuable insight into how these two practice areas often collaborate on complex claims to the benefit of our clients.  

This episode covers:

• Types of cases where clinical negligence and COP typically work together
• Information about the role of COP and how they operate / can assist medical negligence litigation
• Insight into the relationship with COP from a claimant solicitor perspective
• Benefit of a deputyship / trust to the client and family of a minor or protected party in certain medical negligence claims  

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence overlap

In episode 5 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Sarah Cunliffe, Simon Towler, Kashmir Uppal and Sharon Banga discuss circumstances and cases where the practice areas of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence overlap.

The episode hopes to be useful for existing practitioners and people new or simply interested in serious injury law.  

This episode covers:

• How PI / Clin neg overlap occurs and legally operates
• A relevant Shoosmiths case study that Sarah and Simon worked on
• Relevance of the rehab code
• How the Shoosmiths Serious Injury set up works effectively for these types of cases

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

Maternity failures

In episode 4 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Kashmir Uppal, Sharon Banga and Sarah Harper are joined by former client and co-founder of the Campaign for Safer Births, Michelle Hemmington.  

The group discuss Michelle’s civil case relating to the tragic circumstances of the death of her son due to maternity errors and the work of the campaign that she has co-founded.

The campaign focuses on changing the law to allow for inquests to be held in cases of stillbirth, and Kashmir, Sharon and Sarah provide insight into our representation for the civil claim and how we have assisted Michelle with the campaign.  

This episode covers:

• Information about the background of Michelle’s civil case in terms of what happened
• Legal information about the civil case
• The Safer births Campaign (including Shoosmiths serious injury involvement)
• An overview of the type of maternity work that Shoosmiths are involved in

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

Rogue Surgeons – Ian Paterson

In episode 3 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Kashmir Uppal and Sharon Banga are joined by former patients of rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, Sarah-Jane Downing and Lesley Cuthbert.

The group discuss the issues surrounding how cases involving rogue surgeons are investigated and accounts from former patients of Ian Paterson, as to the devastating impact of his treatment practices.

Sarah-Jane and Lesley also talk about the journey that they have been on in terms of the legal process and their wider campaigning in the interest of increasing protection of patients in the private sector and in the health system in general.

This episode covers:

• The background of the Ian Paterson case and what happened
• Information about the civil cases, GMC, criminal case, Inquiry, issue of liability of the private sector
• Campaigning that has already taken place and a look at the future of the work to be done
• The present stance in terms of the implementation of the recommendations made by the Inquiry
• Future of the area of cases involving rogue surgeons

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

Focus on patient safety with Peter Walsh of AvMA

In episode 2 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast, Shoosmiths colleagues Kashmir Uppal and Sharon Banga are joined by Peter Walsh, CEO of Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), leading UK charity for patient safety and justice.

The trio discuss the importance of patient safety to the work of a medical negligence solicitor and learn more about what AvMA does for the benefit of harmed patients.   

This episode covers:

- The role of patient safety at Shoosmiths serious injury 
- The valued work of AvMA as a patient safety charity 
- Advances made and future developments in process at AvMA 
- Collaboration between Shoosmiths and AvMA

The Shoosmiths serious injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.

The COPcast: Channel 4’s ‘Help!’

Episode 5 of The COPcast sees the Shoosmiths Court of Protection team discuss the recently released feature-length programme on Channel 4 starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham.

The show features Comer as a care worker in her new job at a care home towards the end of 2019. She forms a close connection with Graham’s character, a man in his late 40s with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Just a few months in, the Covid-19 pandemic escalates and we see this play out in the care home as Comer negotiates the extreme shortages of staff, equipment, PPE and medical services.

It is harrowing and challenging to watch, but something that feels very close to home for the COP team. Listen to their ruminations on how accurate they felt the show was, what points of practice we can take away, and a bit of a call to arms for care sector improvements! 

The COPcast is brought to you by the Court of Protection team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. The team talk all things mental capacity, whether that be current news stories or the many and varied day-to-day experiences of a being a COP lawyer - from complex brain injuries, house building projects, arrested clients or controversial case law.

An introduction to Shoosmiths serious injury

Episode 1 of the Shoosmiths serious injury podcast provides an introduction to Shoosmiths serious injury (SSI) and the work we do.

Kashmir Uppal and Sharon Banga discuss the types of cases they work on and the people they work with, including clients, charities and other valued contacts.

The Shoosmiths Serious Injury podcast is brought to you by the national serious injury team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. Tune in to hear about the  latest legal views, thought provoking discussions and opinions about all things medical negligence and personal injury.  

The COPcast: ‘Free Britney’ – a UK Lawyer’s take

Episode 4 of The COPcast sees the Shoosmiths Court of Protection team discuss the ongoing conservatorship conversation concerning Britney Spears.

Given the recent developments, and most importantly, Britney’s own take on the situation, Lucy Taylor and Lauren Miner discuss how Britney’s testimony changes things, how we might see a similar arrangement under the law of England and Wales, and an attempt to dispel some myths and put some records straight. 

The COPcast is brought to you by the Court of Protection team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. The team talk all things mental capacity, whether that be current news stories or the many and varied day-to-day experiences of a being a COP lawyer - from complex brain injuries, house building projects, arrested clients or controversial case law.

The COPcast: A COP Masterclass

In episode three of The COPcast, the Shoosmiths Court of Protection team go back to basics, talking about what the Court of Protection is, what a Deputy is and when you may come across a need to use us. 

The team tackle some myth busting along the way, and provide their top tips for helping friends and loved ones when they lose capacity. 

The COPcast is brought to you by the Court of Protection team at UK law firm Shoosmiths. The team talk all things mental capacity, whether that be current news stories or the many and varied day-to-day experiences of a being a COP lawyer - from complex brain injuries, house building projects, arrested clients or controversial case law.