Consultant PsychiatristMBBS, FRCPsychExpert Witness
Psychiatric expert witness for abuse & clinical negligence claims
Dr Nireeja Pradhan is an NHS Consultant Psychiatrist in Birmingham with 25 years’ experience in psychiatry. She provides independent psychiatric reports on diagnosis, causation, prognosis and treatment in abuse and clinical negligence claims, for solicitors throughout the UK and worldwide.
Free initial medico-legal screening call.
- Reports
- Usually 1–2 weeks from assessment
- Fees
- Fixed, no hidden charges
- Instructions
- Claimant, defendant, SJE
- Coverage
- UK and worldwide
- 25 years’ experienceNHS Consultant Psychiatrist in Birmingham
- FRCPsychFellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
- APIL Tier 1Recommended Expert
- Expert Witness AwardsWinner, 2017 and 2019
Abuse claims and clinical negligence
Dr Pradhan’s medico-legal practice centres on independent psychiatric evidence about the consequences of abuse and of negligent healthcare. She is instructed by claimant and defendant solicitors and as a single joint expert.
Abuse Claims
Childhood and adult sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, domestic and institutional abuse, and historic claims with delayed disclosure and complex causation.
Abuse claims
Clinical Negligence
Negligent psychiatric care, delayed diagnosis, medication errors, poorly managed suicide risk, and psychological injury after negligent surgery, childbirth or cancer care.
Clinical negligence
Psychiatric Expert Reports
Psychiatric injury, PTSD, causation, prognosis, treatment needs, breach of duty and capacity. Most cases need several of these in one report.
Report types
What the psychiatric report addresses
Dr Pradhan’s assessments address the relationship between what happened, the claimant’s mental health, earlier vulnerability and long-term functioning. Depending on the questions in your instructions, her report may examine:
- PTSD and complex PTSD, including diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis
- Depression, anxiety disorders and trauma-related symptoms
- Delayed disclosure and the clinical context of reported symptoms
- Whether psychiatric care fell below a reasonable standard, and what difference it made
- Pre-existing conditions and alternative or contributing causes
- Effects on relationships, education, employment and daily life
- Capacity to consent to treatment or to conduct proceedings
- Treatment recommendations, prognosis and future psychiatric needs
Her opinion addresses diagnosis, causation, prognosis, treatment and, where instructed, whether psychiatric care fell below a reasonable standard. Whether alleged abuse occurred, and whether care was negligent in law, are matters for the court, to which an expert’s duty is owed.
An NHS consultant psychiatrist with 25 years’ experience
Dr Pradhan prepares medico-legal reports in abuse claims and clinical negligence, structured for CPR Part 35 in England and Wales and prepared to the requirements of the courts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Solicitors instruct her when they need a report that addresses diagnosis, causation, apportionment, prognosis, treatment needs and functional impact in a format the court can follow. She is APIL Tier 1 recommended, section 12(2) approved and dual-accredited, is regularly appointed as a single joint expert, and has been commended by judges for the clarity of her evidence.
- MBBS
- FRCPsych
- MA Medical Ethics & Law
- GMC registered
- Section 12(2) approved
Dr Pradhan can provide reports addressing the following
- Psychiatric injuryThe diagnosis, its severity and its effect on daily life.
- Trauma and PTSDPTSD and other trauma reactions, assessed against the diagnostic criteria.
- Complex PTSDThe effects of prolonged or repeated trauma, often from childhood.
- CausationThe chronology, competing explanations and apportionment.
- PrognosisThe likely course of symptoms, treatment and recovery.
- Treatment needsThe treatment required, how much and for how long.
- Breach of dutyWhether psychiatric care fell below a reasonable standard.
- Capacity and consentMental capacity at the time of a decision, or now.
Not sure which questions your case needs? A free initial screening call will confirm the questions and the papers needed.
Submit an enquiryWhat instructing solicitors say
Feedback from solicitors and legal teams who have worked with Dr Pradhan.
I recommend Dr Pradhan as a psychiatrist experienced in preparing reports into child sex abuse cases. The work she did for me showed her deep understanding of this trauma and its effects on survivors of sexual assaults.
We are a department who specialise in claims for abuse victims. Dr Pradhan has assisted us over a number of years… Our clients have found her to be sympathetic and understanding and we have found her reports to be excellent.
Dr Pradhan is a highly regarded psychiatric expert whose reports are consistently detailed, thorough and of high quality.
I always look forward to working with Dr Pradhan; she is great with our clients and her flexibility when it comes to making arrangements to interview them is truly appreciated. We experience a quick turnaround from instruction to receiving the report and there is ample communication from Dr Pradhan’s team…
I find Dr Pradhan’s reports very comprehensive and easy to understand, I had good feedback from clients and she is a pleasure to work with, highly recommended.
How an instruction works
What happens after you send the case details.
Send the case details
Use the form or call. Include the case type, a short summary of the issues, the funding route and any limitation or hearing dates.
Free screening call
A free initial medico-legal screening call to confirm the questions, the papers needed, the timescale and a fixed fee.
Assessment
At consulting rooms in Harborne, Birmingham, or arranged to suit the case and the claimant’s needs.
The report
Typically 1–2 weeks from assessment. Urgent reports can often be delivered in 2–5 working days where the papers and appointment can be arranged promptly.
Funding routes accepted
- Legal aid (LAA)
- CFA and insurance-backed
- Private instructions
- Council, court and CPS-funded
Fixed fees with no hidden charges. Flexible and deferred payment terms are available where appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered here, call or send the case details and Dr Pradhan will advise.
Call 0121 752 6065What types of case does Dr Pradhan cover as a psychiatric expert witness?
Abuse claims and clinical negligence. That includes childhood and adult abuse, historic and institutional abuse, negligent psychiatric care, delayed diagnosis, medication errors, suicide and self-harm, consent and capacity, and psychological injury after negligent treatment. She also prepares psychiatric reports for CICA applications. Reports address diagnosis, causation, prognosis, treatment needs and functional impact.
How quickly can a medico-legal psychiatric report be delivered?
The usual turnaround is 1–2 weeks from assessment. For urgent cases, reports can often be provided within 2–5 working days where the papers and appointment can be arranged promptly. If you have a court deadline, include it in your initial enquiry so that the timetable can be discussed.
How do I instruct Dr Pradhan?
Use the enquiry form on this page, call 0121 752 6065 or email info@doctorpradhan.co.uk. Include the case type, a short summary of the issues, the funding route and any limitation or hearing dates. A free initial medico-legal screening call is available.
What funding and payment options are accepted?
Dr Pradhan works on a fixed fee basis with no hidden charges. Legal aid (LAA), CFA or insurance-backed, private, and council, court or CPS-funded instructions are accepted, and flexible and deferred payment terms are available where appropriate.
Does Dr Pradhan comment on the standard of care?
On psychiatric care, yes: she gives opinions on breach of duty and causation. Care in another specialty is for an expert in that field, and her report then addresses the psychiatric injury that followed.
Where does Dr Pradhan accept instructions from?
She accepts instructions from solicitors across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and worldwide. Assessments take place at her consulting rooms at Abacus Court, Harborne, Birmingham, or can be arranged to suit the case and the claimant’s needs.
Will Dr Pradhan say whether the abuse happened?
No. Her opinion addresses diagnosis, causation, prognosis and treatment; whether events occurred is for the court to decide. In civil claims in England and Wales, CPR 35.3 makes an expert’s duty to help the court override any obligation to the party instructing or paying them.
Experts in other specialties
Alongside her own work, Dr Pradhan maintains links with experts across psychiatry, psychology, orthopaedics, neurology and other specialties. If your case also needs a different discipline, she can help you identify a suitable expert.
Instruct Dr Pradhan
Send the type of case, a short outline of the issues and any limitation or hearing dates. Instructions are accepted from solicitors across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and worldwide.
- Phone0121 752 6065
- Emailinfo@
doctorpradhan.co.uk - Consulting Rooms NationwideAbacus Court, Harborne, Birmingham B17 0HH
Please do not include medical records or a detailed personal history in this form. Dr Pradhan will confirm how to send the papers once the instruction is agreed.
Case enquiry
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Instructions are accepted from solicitors only. Read our privacy policy before sending personal information.
If the matter is urgent, call 0121 752 6065.