Vanessa McKinlay

Areas of expertise

• Clinical negligence & personal injury
  • Clinical negligence

    Clinical negligence

    Vanessa is experienced in high-value and complex litigation involving all areas of medical care. Her expertise cover areas such as surgical negligence, delayed diagnosis of cancer, obstetric and midwifery care, delayed treatment of sepsis, pharmaceutical negligence, cardiac treatment and the treatment of renal conditions.

    She acts for both claimants and defendants, dealing with all aspects of clinical negligence arising in NHS hospitals, GP surgeries and other primary care centres, private clinics and ambulance centres.

    Her extensive medical expertise gives her a decided advantage in dealing with the complicated medical issues which arise in clinical negligence claims.

    Recent work includes: 

    • Acting for local health board in relation to a £7m claim following surgical treatment for a bowel disorder.
    • Thacker v Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust: trial arising from nerve damage sustained following a femoral nerve block given during knee replacement surgery.
    • Acting for eight claimants who had hip replacements performed by the same surgeon where there was a failure to perform an adequate reattachment of the adductor tendon.
    • Claim relating to the alleged negligent delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer leading to the need for a mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy and a reduction in life expectancy.
    • Complex case relating to claims brought against community midwife team and hospital relating to delayed diagnosis of post-partum infection leading to necrotising fasciitis, severe sepsis, chronic illness myopathy and quadriplegia.
    • Payne v South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust – 6-day trial involving alleged delay in abdominal surgery
    • Lunn v Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust – 4-day trial involving stillbirth
    • IIayesa v North Bristol NHS Trust – 3-day trial involving alleged negligent surgical treatment
    • Titchener v Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust – 4-day trial involving alleged obstetric negligence
    • Young v Fraser – 400,000 settlement following drug-induced renal failure
    • Worth-Catherall v Warwick House Medical Centre – 250,000 settlement following drug-induced peripheral neuropathy
  • Inquests & inquiries

    Inquests & inquiries

    Vanessa sits as an Assistant Coroner in Birmingham and Solihull, and Somerset.

    At the Bar, Vanessa regularly provides representation at inquests including Article 2 and jury inquests. She is particularly experienced in cases involving healthcare. This encompasses deaths in hospital involving complex medical procedures, perinatal deaths and those involving long periods of multidisciplinary treatment.

    Vanessa is also experienced in inquests involving GP services, community psychiatric care and ambulance services. She has experience of inquests involving detained and non-detained psychiatric patients and those in which pharmaceutical intervention has played a part. She represents interested persons involving deaths in custody.

    Vanessa regularly advises and represents clients regarding all procedural aspects of inquests, from before the pre-inquest review through to the conclusion of the inquest.