Psychological impact of medical negligence

When medical care goes wrong, the psychological injury can be as lasting as the physical one. I provide independent clinical psychology assessments and expert reports on the psychological consequences of medical negligence for adults and children, instructed by solicitors acting for patients and their families, and by solicitors and insurers acting for defendants.

What I assess

  • The psychological impact on the patient of delayed or missed diagnosis, surgical or procedural error, medication error, failures of consent, hospital-acquired harm and failures in nursing or community care
  • The impact on family members who witnessed the event or its immediate aftermath
  • The impact on children of their own treatment, or of a parent's injury
  • Pre-existing vulnerability, and whether the negligent event caused, exacerbated or accelerated the difficulty
  • Prognosis, expected recovery time, residual symptoms and their effect on work, education and family life
  • Evidence-based treatment recommendations, with an indication of likely duration and cost

Cases I do not take

I do not accept instructions in maternity, obstetric or birth-related cases, including stillbirth and neonatal death. This is to avoid any overlap with my clinical role in children's palliative care.

How the report fits the claim

A medical negligence claim in Ireland needs expert evidence on liability (whether the care fell below the standard expected) and separate evidence on the injury caused. My report addresses the second question only: the nature, severity, causation and prognosis of the psychological injury. I do not offer an opinion on the standard of care. The report is written to be read alongside the liability expert's report and the treating clinicians' records, and it uses the diagnostic framework (DSM-5-TR and ICD-11) that the courts expect.

What makes a clinical psychology report different

Alongside the clinical interview, I use standardised, validated questionnaires measuring post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, health anxiety, adjustment and quality of life. These give a quantified severity rating (for example, moderate or severe) that can be compared with population norms and repeated at a later date. The report then sets out a formulation: why this person responded to this event as they did, what maintains the difficulty now, and what is likely to help. Where it is helpful, I also comment on the reliability of the account and on the consistency between the interview, the questionnaires and the records.

How the assessment runs

  1. You email me a referral with the client's name and contact details, a summary of the treatment and what went wrong, and the medical records or reports you hold. I confirm promptly, typically within 24 hours, whether I can take the case.
  2. I send the client a secure link to complete an assessment form and questionnaires online.
  3. I interview the client by secure video for about 90 minutes. For a child, a parent or guardian joins the call.
  4. I issue the report about one week after the interview, once all records are in. A fixed fee is quoted on enquiry and invoiced after the interview; the report is released on payment.

To instruct

Email info@amckiernan.ie with the subject line "Medical negligence instruction". Enquiries are answered promptly, typically within 24 hours. All instructions are taken in writing so that there is a clear record from the first contact.