Helen offers a wide range of neurosurgical expertise but has a particular interest in spinal neurosurgery, managing sciatica, back and neck pain as well as tumours of the spine. She is one of three complex spinal surgeons in Addenbrooke’s Hospital and also a member of the British Association of Spinal Surgeons, British Cervical Spine Society and the East Anglian Spinal Society.  Her other special interest is Paediatric Neurosurgery being Lead Paediatric Neurosurgeon in Addenbrooke’s. She cares for children with hydrocephalus, brain and spinal tumours, following head and spinal injury and those born with congenital spinal and brain disorders such as spina bifida. She is in fact very proud to be a Medical Advisor to the Association of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (www.asbah.org).  Addenbrooke’s is a very busy Neurosurgical Unit covering a population of over 3 million. Helen sees over 800 outpatients per year, performing over 250 major operative procedures annually.

Helen also has a busy commitment to both under graduate and postgraduate medical education. She is Associate Director of Postgraduate Medical Education in Addenbrooke’s responsible for the supervision, teaching and assessment of over 80 junior doctors. She also chairs a national body WinS, Women in Surgery part of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. This group has over 3000 members and works to promote surgery as a career for women with an annual conference, ongoing research, regular publications and close links with the Department of Health.

 

·                    Police Surgeon (Northumbria  Police) - 1990-1994

Examining, preparing reports and appearing in Court, supporting victims of rape and serious sexual abuse

·                    Writing Medical Reports since 2002

·                    Several Court appearances as expert witness                            

·                     Types of Report

Personal injury, claimant 50%

Personal injury, defence 40%

Personal injury, joint 10%

Paediatric non-accidental injury, defendant 40%

Paediatric non-accidental injury, prosecution 40%

Paediatric non-accidental injury, joint 20%

Medical negligence, defendant 50%

            Medical negligence, prosecution 50%

·                    Early Surgery versus initial conservative treatment in patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral haematomas in the International Surgical Trial in Intracerebral Haemorrhage (STICH): a randomised trial.  AD Mendelow, Barbara Gregdon, Helen M Fernandes, Gordon Murray, Graham M Teasdale, D Terence Hope, Abbas Karimi, M Donald Shaw and David H Barer and STICH investigators.  Lancet 2005; 365:387-397

·                     Spontaneous Intracerebral Haemorrhage.  H.M. Fernandes.  Surgery 2003;22 (3):66-68

·                      Cerebral oedema associated with betaine treatment in classical homocystinuria.  AM Devlin, L Hajipour, A Gholkar, HM Fernandes, V Ramesh, AAM Morris.  Journal of Paediatrics (In press)

·                      Alterations to STICH protocol (letter).  MDM Shaw, AD Mendelow, GM Teasdale, GD Murray, BA Gregson on behalf of the MRC Steering Committee  (HM Fernandes Principal Investigator).  The Lancet 2003; 362:1244

·                      Protocol 99RPT/7 International STICH (Surgical Trial in Intracerebral Haemorrhage).  MRC Steering Committee of STICH  (HM Fernandes) http://www.thelancet.com/info

·                      Design and Analysis of Phase III Trials with Ordered Outcome Scales: The Concept of the Sliding Dichotomy.  Gordon Murray, David Barer, Sung Choi, Helen Fernandes, Barbara Gregson, Kennedy Lees, Andrew Mass, Anthony Marmarou, A. David Mendelow, Ewout Steyerberg, Gillian Taylor, Graham Teasdale and Christopher Weir. Journal of Neurotrauma 2005;22:511

·                      Woman aged 24 years with fourth ventricular mass (Giant cell ependymoma). Case Report.  P Pal, HM Fernandes, D Ellison.  Brain Pathology (2005)

·                      Surgery in Intracerebral Haemorrhage: the Uncertainty Continues? (2000)

·                      Intracranial pressure and clinical status: assessment of two intracranial pressure transducers (2000)

·                      Spontaneous Intracerebral Haemorrhage: A clinical dilemma (1999)

Yes

I have appeared in court on several occasions both for claimant and prosecution. I have always been complimented for my clarity of evidence and explanation for jury members.

Within 1 month

 

Medical Report and Court Appearances Terms and Conditions

1.        My fee will be calculated on an hourly rate of £250.00 per hour, inclusive of administrative charges.

2.        Supplementary correspondence, reports and case conferences will be charged likewise on the same hourly charging rate.

3.        My accounts are for payment 28 days after delivery of the account.  Please note that if your client is legally aided it will be a matter for you to arrange payment on account by the Legal Aid Board.

4.        In the event of a payment remaining outstanding after 28 days after delivery I reserve the right to charge interest at 1½% per month or part of each month the account is outstanding.

5.        I am happy to appear in Court on behalf of those for whom I prepare medical reports.  Please ensure that my dates of unavailability are sought and that I am notified when a fixture is obtained.   If a fixture is not obtained I cannot give any undertaking to be available.

6.        My charge rate for appearance in Court is on an hourly rate of £250.00 per hour. Travel, subsidence and accommodation will be charged in addition to the above fee, according to the Court commitments required.

7.        If more than fourteen days’ notice of cancellation of part or all of the booked dates for the hearing is received, then the fees for the cancelled portion will be waived.  If eight to fourteen days’ notice of cancellation is received, then fifty per cent of the appropriate fees will be charged.  If less than eight days’ notice of cancellation is forthcoming, the full fee will become payable. 

8.        If the patient’s medical records are at Addenbrooke’s Hospital I can obtain these myself, subject to being provided with an appropriate form of consent.  If the medical records are elsewhere, the Solicitors should obtain copies of them from the Hospital in question.  The Solicitor should obtain copies of the General Practitioner records in all cases.