Specialist surgical practice
Complex liver, pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder surgery. Expertise in surgery for neuroendocrine tumours, and in general surgery.
For solicitors and instructing professionals
Medicolegal practice
Expert surgical opinion in hepatobiliary, pancreatic, neuroendocrine tumour and general surgery — from first screening opinion through to oral evidence.
Guidelines and standards
Fully conversant with prevailing guidance and practice. Contributed to national standards of practice for hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery.
Research experience
PhD, University of Liverpool. Editor, Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group, having previously been Associate Editor, and Editorial Board of the World Journal of Surgery. Reviewer for Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, the BMJ and the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and currently reviewing pre-publication submissions.
Teaching and examining
Examiner and Teaching Tutor at Warwick Medical School, Training Programme Director for the Foundation Year, and supervisor to core surgical, foundation and higher trainees, and to PhD and MSc research students.
Specialist training
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. Specialist training in major teaching hospitals in Cardiff, Birmingham and London, with hepatobiliary experience at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, following consultant appointment.
Trained as an expert
Bond Solon — Excellence in Report Writing. Reports are written for the court, in the form the court expects.
Service and practicalities
What I undertake
I am instructed on surgical standards of care, decision-making and consent in hepatobiliary, pancreatic and general surgery. Instructions are accepted from claimants and defendants, and as a single joint expert.
Where a matter falls outside my expertise, I will say so at the outset rather than accept an instruction I should not take.
Gallbladder and bile ducts
- Injury to the bile duct during gallbladder removal
- Bile leaks, and stones left behind, after gallbladder surgery
- Delay in diagnosing gallstones, and pancreatitis caused by gallstones
- Injury, bleeding or pancreatitis during ERCP and other endoscopic procedures
- Narrowing of the bile duct, including narrowing that follows surgery
Liver and pancreas
- Liver resection and ablation, and complications afterwards
- Pancreatic surgery — Whipple's procedure and distal pancreatectomy
- Delay in diagnosing liver, bile duct or pancreatic cancer
- Whether an operation was possible, and when it should have been carried out
- Acute, severe and chronic pancreatitis, and its management
Neuroendocrine tumours
- Delay in diagnosing a neuroendocrine tumour — flushing, diarrhoea and abdominal pain are often attributed to other conditions first
- Delay in referring a patient to a specialist neuroendocrine service
- Surgery for small bowel, pancreatic and appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours
- Decisions about further surgery when a neuroendocrine tumour is found in the appendix
- Surgery for neuroendocrine tumours that have spread to the liver
- Carcinoid syndrome, and the prevention and treatment of carcinoid crisis around the time of surgery
- Surveillance and follow-up, including when to operate and when to keep watching
Hernia and abdominal wall
- Hernia repair, including recurrence and persistent pain afterwards
- Problems attributed to surgical mesh
- Emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia
- Reconstruction of the abdominal wall
Emergency and general surgery
- Emergency operations for conditions such as appendicitis, bowel obstruction or a perforated bowel
- Complications after abdominal surgery: infection, bleeding, a leak from a join, or injury to another organ
- Decisions to operate, to wait, or not to operate
- Consent: what risks should have been explained before an operation
Screening reports
A screening report gives an early view on whether there is a case worth pursuing. It addresses breach of duty and causation at a preliminary level, on the records available.
It is usually the right first step where liability is in doubt. It answers the central question — is this claim worth the cost of a full report — for a fraction of that cost, and it can be built on later if the case proceeds.
A screening opinion is not a substitute for a full report, and says so on its face.
Medicolegal reports
Full reports address breach of duty and causation, and are prepared to CPR Part 35 and Practice Direction 35 standards, with the statement of truth and declaration of independence those require.
The report sets out my qualifications and the limits of my expertise, the instructions received, the documents and imaging considered, a chronology, the factual background, and my opinion on breach of duty and on causation. Where an issue falls outside my expertise, the report says so rather than guessing at it.
Reports are supplied as a PDF by email. Questions arising after exchange are answered in writing, and can be dealt with at a conference if that is more efficient.
Condition and prognosis
A condition and prognosis report deals with where the claimant is now, what treatment has been given and what remains outstanding, the likely course from here, and any further surgical intervention that may be needed.
It is often commissioned separately from breach of duty, and it may not require examination where the records and imaging are complete and the question turns on the documents.
Clinical examination
Where the opinion turns on the claimant's present condition, examination is the only proper way to form it. I take a focused history, examine the relevant systems, and review the imaging and operative records myself.
Where an examination is required, a private appointment is scheduled for the claimant, with enough notice to travel. A chaperone is welcome, and an interpreter can be arranged where needed.
It helps if the claimant brings a current list of medication, and any letters or scan reports they hold.
Meriden Hospital
Clifford Bridge RoadCoventry CV2 2LQRecords-only opinions
Some questions can be answered properly from the documents alone — where the issue is what was recorded and what was done, where examination is not possible, or where the claimant has since died.
Records-only opinions are only as good as the bundle behind them. Complete records, including imaging and histopathology where relevant, are needed before a view can be given.
Joint expert work
I accept appointment as a single joint expert, and take part in joint discussions and joint statements with the other side's expert where the court directs it.
The duty to the court is unaffected by joint appointment, and the reasoning does not shift to accommodate either party.
Conferences and court attendance
I attend conferences with counsel in person, by telephone or by video, whichever suits the case, and give oral evidence at trial and at final hearings.
As much notice as possible is helpful for attendance, particularly for trial dates.
My terms and conditions have the full details.
Turnaround
The timescale depends on the requirements of the instructing party and the volume of medicolegal work involved. For an average instruction, the report is delivered within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving full instructions and information.
Records must be complete before a timescale can sensibly be given. Part bundles delay reports more than anything else, and a report written on half the notes is of no use to anyone.
If something puts the agreed timescale at risk, you will be told before the deadline, not after it.
Fees and terms
Fees and terms are available on request.
The fee basis is agreed in writing before any work begins. Terms of engagement are issued with every instruction, and cover fees, cancellation and postponement, travel and attendance.
Email: medicolegal@saboorkhan.co.uk
Instructing me
- 01
Outline the case
The broad clinical issue, the opinion sought and any deadline. Please do not send a records bundle at this stage.
- 02
Conflict check
I confirm whether I can act. Only the minimum identifying information is needed for this.
- 03
Scope, terms and fees agreed
Questions, service, fee basis and a realistic timescale, agreed in writing before work begins.
- 04
Records transferred securely
Once the instruction is agreed, by a method we have both agreed.
For fees, terms and instructions:
An enquiry does not create an accepted instruction, and legal bundles or clinical records should not be sent to a patient appointment service.
Email: medicolegal@saboorkhan.co.uk
Looking for clinical care rather than legal opinion? If you are seeking an opinion about your own symptoms or treatment, please use the private consultation route instead.
Where this matters most
My background is particularly relevant in cases involving hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, gallbladder surgery, hernia surgery and neuroendocrine tumours, together with the associated standards of care, consent, complication management and surgical decision-making.
What you can expect
- An opinion that answers the questions actually asked, and no more.
- Plain reasoning you can follow without a surgical background.
- Delivery to the timescale agreed at the outset, with notice if anything changes.
- A clear statement where the evidence does not support the case being advanced.