Homerton Life May-June 2008 v5 - Homerton University Hospital

HOMERTON PEOPLETwominuteswith…Michael Lessani,senior house officer, oral andmaxillo facial surgery1. What was your first job?Bartender at Level nightclubin Bristol.2. What did you want to bewhen you were growing up?An astronaut – maybe oneday…3. Who is the person you mostadmire? My mum, she’sbeen an independentwoman, ahead of her time.She’s an inspiration for me,today and forever.4. What was your mostembarrassing moment?Walking around Homertonafter a theatre list, havingforgotten my loosespectacles were still taped tomy forehead.5. What is your biggestindulgence? Trying toimpress those damsels indistress.6. What would you do if youwon the national lottery?I don’t gamble.7. What was the last:book you read?“Bloody Foreigners.” It talksabout all the differentpeople coming to settle onthe British Isles since theRoman times.cd you bought?Lionel Ritchie – “Back toFront”, for theaforementioned damsels.film you watched?Gladiator – and apparently Ilook like Russell Croweaccording to Lydia fromTheatres!8. What dish would you like tosee in the hospital canteen?Chelo Kabab Makhsous –A Persian barbeque feast.A day in the life of…legal servicesBY GILLIAN WARDMeeting with Homerton’s internal lawyerAsha Kaur to talk about the work of legal services,highlighted the vital and wide ranging work thatlegal departments undertake within the NHS.Asha, who has been working at Homerton since2002, is the sole member of legal services(although external solicitors are used if specialistguidance is required). The department providesadvice and representation for the Trust and staffregarding personal injury and clinical negligenceclaims. Within the NHS, claims can range fromstolen property to more serious cases such asinjury sustained during treatment. NHS lawyersare also involved in Coroner’s cases, which arehearings held to establish the events leading upto, and surrounding, a death in hospital. Inaddition, with the introduction of the mentalcapacity act last year, the department can supportclinicians who are dealing with capacity issues.Asha comments: “I would advise any memberof staff who is dealing with anything of a legalnature at work - whether it is providingstatements to the police, negotiating sectionorders, or writing reports for the coroner – toget in contact with me first so I can make sureyou get the right support at the right time.”Asha is keen to convey that she is an NHSdefendinglawyer whose concern is to act onthe side of Homerton and its staff. She givessupport as soon as a case is identified, which isongoing until a process is complete.Depending on the case, Asha’s input canAsha Kaurinvolve guidance on how to communicate withthe police, questions to expect should a caseget to court, how the hearing will be structuredand how to feedback sensitive issues to patientsand relatives. The lifespan of a case, regardlessof whether it relates to personal injury or clinicalnegligence, depends on the circumstances – butsome can go on for years. Most cases areresolved before they reach court.Legal services is also involved in reviewingexternal contracts to ensure Homerton receivesthe best deal for its money. Asha providestraining, which can be tailored to adepartment’s needs, and is also on hand tooffer advice or support on any legal matter.And Asha’s top tip is: “Make sure you write asmuch as you possibly can in patient notes.Legal cases can be bought against the hospitalmany years after a patient has been treated, soit is important that we can go back andaccurately state what happened at the time.There have been times where decisions don’t goin our favour because we couldn’t completelyevidence what happened. It also means thatstaff don’t have to rely on their memories.”The legal services department is based inthe Education Centre. You can call AshaKaur on ext 5321 or via email.Congratulations to consultant colorectalsurgeon Miss Helen Pardoe who won aprestigious Draper’s Award for educationand learning from Queen Mary UniversityLondon. The Draper’s award is a prizegiven annually in recognition ofexcellence in the teaching of medicalstudents. She was nominated byUniversity of London medical students.10