Photo portrait James W Fairley BSc MBBS FRCS MS Consultant ENT Surgeon

Expert Witness Medicolegal Curriculum Vitae

Mr James W. Fairley BSc MBBS FRCS MS (Lond)
Consultant ENT Surgeon

Updated February 2019

Please Note – from April 2015 until further notice we are not accepting any new Noise-Induced Hearing Loss instructions

Profile / Summary

  • Over 25 years experience medico-legal expert witness reports
  • Over 35 years clinical experience in Ear Nose & Throat Medicine and Surgery
  • Medical Negligence & Personal Injury cases accepted, equal balance Claimant and Defendant instructions
  • UK GMC Associate Expert Witness & Performance Assessor
  • Sound grasp of legal principles & Civil Procedures Rules
  • Strong academic background in Evidence Based Medicine
  • Scientific, impartial, analytical and logical approach
  • Key points of case grasped, summarised & presented effectively
  • Screening, Advisory and Full CPR Part 35 Compliant Reports available on Breach of Duty, Causation, Present Condition and Prognosis
  • Efficient service, reports produced on time to agreed deadlines, secure electronic delivery available (pdf format)

Personal details

Full Name
James William Fairley
Address
71 Mill Court Ashford Kent TN24 8DN
Tel
01233 642244
Nationality
British

Professional qualifications

UK GMC Registration
Fully Trained Specialist (Otolaryngology) Certificate No. 2719566
Revalidated 6 February 2019
Revalidation due date 17 February 2024

Medical Qualifications

1996
Master of Surgery (University of London)
1993
Accredited Trained Specialist in Otolaryngology (Royal College of Surgeons of England)
1988
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (Otolaryngology)
1981
Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School University of London
1978
Bachelor of Science (Pharmacology) University of London

Current clinical practice

Private Hospitals and Clinics
The Harley Street ENT Clinic, London W1
Kent Institute of Medicine & Surgery, KIMS Hospital, Maidstone, Kent
One Ashford Hospital, Ashford, Kent
The Chaucer Hospital, Canterbury,Kent
Spencer Private Hospitals, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, Kent

Former NHS clinical practice

NHS
Aug 1993 – Aug 2014 Substantive Consultant ENT Surgeon, East Kent University Hospitals NHS Trust
Sept 2014 – Feb 2015 Continued to provide specialist surgical services to East Kent University Hospitals NHS Trust (internal locum bank)

Medico legal Experience

With a track record of over 25 years providing timely, clear, independent medical reports to the legal profession, I fully understand the requirements of instructing solicitors, in particular the restricted timescales for civil litigation, the limitations of expertise, and the absolute need for independent, balanced consideration. I bring to bear

  • Over 25 years experience medico-legal expert witness reports
  • Over 30 years clinical experience in Ear Nose & Throat Medicine and Surgery
  • Sound grasp of legal principles & Civil Procedures Rules
  • Strong academic background in Evidence Based Medicine
  • Scientific, impartial, analytical and logical approach

I currently accept around 25 medico-legal instructions per year, with approximately equal balance between claimant and defendant work. I also accept single joint expert instructions. In the personal injury field, common areas for reports are

  • Medical negligence cases, including delayed diagnosis of cholesteatoma (breach of duty, causation, present condition and prognosis)
  • Ear, nose and throat injuries from road traffic accidents
  • Tinnitus

Clinical experience

I have been in independent practice as an NHS and private ENT Consultant in Kent since 1993. I currently see and treat around 1,500 ENT patients per year, referred from General Medical Practitioners for specialist opinion on the full spectrum of ENT disorders. I carry out approximately 100 ENT surgical operations per year, with special interest in microsurgery of the middle ear, endoscopic sinus surgery, and laser surgery. For almost 30 years I trained and supervised junior doctors in clinical ENT practice, including emergencies and participation on busy on-call rotas.

Research and teaching experience

In 1996 I was awarded Master of Surgery from the University of London for my research on Correlation of Nasal Symptoms with Objective findings, and Surgical Outcome Measurement. I trained and supervised junior doctors in ENT until 2014.

Publications and presentations

I have published papers on

  • Sinusitis
  • Physiology of nasal obstruction
  • Vocal cord paralysis
  • HIV/AIDS in ENT
  • Use of lasers
  • Day case tonsillectomy
  • Stapes surgery
  • Bone Anchored Hearing Aids
  • Evidence Based Otolaryngology
  • Sudden deafness

I co-authored a book of multiple choice questions for trainees covering the whole spectrum of ENT. My Master’s thesis focussed on the correlation between nasal symptoms and objective findings in relation to the measurement of surgical outcome. I have a special interest in evidence based medicine, act as a protocol reviewer for the Cochrane collaboration, and served for ten years on the Clinical Audit Practice Advisory Committee of the British Association of Otolaryngologists / Head & Neck Surgeons. I have given numerous regional, national and international presentations on my research and am generally thought to be a good public speaker.

Range of Professional Opinion Awareness

I was a member of the Committee of the Clinical Practice and Audit Group of ENT UK (British Association of Otolaryngologists / Head & Neck Surgeons) and former Chaired the e-Learning Group of the ENT UK Education and Training Committee. I inaugurated the role of Survey Guardian for ENT UK. This entails vetting the quality, editing the content, electronic distribution, facilitating analysis, and issuing Continuous Professional Development (e-CPD) credits for survey questionnaires submitted by Medical Researchers. I set up and maintained the recruitment of our Expert Panel Members (over 300 UK ENT Specialists, who agreed to participate in surveys in return for CPD credits). Most surveys aimed to establish the range of professional opinion within our speciality. They covered a wide variety of subjects.

Court appearances

I am regularly instructed by the General Medical Council and have given evidence and undergone cross-examination at GMC Fitness to Practice Hearings. I have undertaken training, approved by the Expert Witness Institute, in court room scenarios and cross-examination.

GMC Performance Assessment

In 2012 I was selected, having completed formal General Medical Council training, as a GMC Associate Performance Assessor. As part of this role, I undertake periodic refresher training in assessing performance issues in doctors.

Administration

Mrs Fairley runs a highly efficient office and we have a rapid turnaround for reports, including electronic delivery (secure .pdf format) All reports (except screening and advisory) are produced according to current CPR Part 35 rules and protocols.

Please visit the credentials section of this site for

Fees, Terms and Conditions

Our fees are payable on receipt of the report, with interest payable after 30 days.

Deferred payment until successful recovery of costs at end of claim

We do not carry out work under deferred payment schemes. Our payment terms are 30 days from receipt of report.

Legal aid cases

We no longer accept legal aid cases.