Surgery
Hand surgery expert witnesses
Listed hand surgery expert witnesses address injury and disease of the hand and wrist, including tendon, nerve and fracture management. Missed tendon and nerve injuries after wounds are a frequent subject of instruction.
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The evidence
What a hand surgery expert witness is asked to determine
Hand claims often turn on the adequacy of the first examination. Whether individual tendon and nerve function was tested and recorded at the time of a wound usually decides whether a later-diagnosed division was avoidably missed, and outcome depends heavily on the interval before repair.
- Whether examination of tendon and nerve function was performed and recorded at first presentation.
- Whether wound exploration and imaging were undertaken where the mechanism indicated it.
- Whether repair, fixation or reconstruction was carried out within an appropriate period.
- Whether hand therapy and rehabilitation were arranged and followed.
- What can be said about grip, dexterity and capacity for work on the evidence available.
Practitioners are listed across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Location can be narrowed in the register’s location listings before an instruction is made.
Claim contexts
Claims that instruct this discipline
These links describe the question hand surgery evidence can answer. They do not prescribe the scope of an individual instruction.
Personal injury claims
Hand and wrist injury and its effect on function and employment.
View claim type → 02Clinical negligence claims
Examination, diagnosis and repair of hand injury.
View claim type → 03Criminal injuries compensation
Hand injury evidence following assault.
View claim type →Search the register by the discipline used in the instruction.
See hand surgery listingsReport routes
Reports prepared
Emergency records, operation notes and therapy entries support a records review report. A breach and causation report addresses the missed injury and the delay alleged.
A condition and prognosis report addresses grip, dexterity and future surgery. What each route addresses is set out on the report pages.
Hand surgery expert witness evidence
A hand surgeon expert witness starts from what the first examination recorded, because a negative that was never tested is not a negative finding.
The listing identifies discipline and coverage; the instruction is agreed with the practitioner. See guidance from British Society for Surgery of the Hand alongside the case material.
Directory search
Hand Surgery listings
Hand Surgery Expert Witness Cases & Claims
Related expert witness specialties
Questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Will a Hand Surgery expert witness respond to Part 35 questions?
Yes - CPR 35.6 entitles the parties to put written questions on a report, and answering them is part of the expert's duty to the court. A Hand Surgery report prepared for proceedings in England and Wales carries the Part 35 statement of truth, with equivalent duties applying in the other UK jurisdictions.
Can a Hand Surgery expert act as a single joint expert?
Where the court directs a single joint expert under CPR 35.7, the instruction is agreed between the parties and put jointly - a routine basis of instruction in this field. Whether a particular practitioner accepts SJE appointments is confirmed with the practitioner at the enquiry stage.
Will the expert attend joint discussions or give evidence at trial?
Where the court directs discussions between experts under CPR 35.12, they meet and produce a joint statement of what is agreed and what is disputed; attendance at trial - in person or by video link - is likewise a matter of court direction. These commitments are confirmed with the practitioner at instruction.
Can I choose a Hand Surgery expert of a specific gender, or one who assesses remotely?
Yes on both counts. Every listing displays the practitioner's gender, consulting locations and assessment types - face to face, remote or both - so sensitive-instruction preferences can be applied at the shortlisting stage, before any contact is made.