Professor J Peter A Lodge, winner of the Most Highly Regarded Expert Witnesses 2017 from the UK, is a consultant surgeon based at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, West Yorkshire. He also has a busy, thriving private practice at Spire Leeds Hospital where he treats patients from across the whole of the country. We took the chance to interview him to discover more about his highly appreciated medico-legal work.
Professor J Peter A Lodge MD FRCS FEBS is a consultant surgeon based at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He also has a busy, thriving private practice at Spire Leeds Hospital and the Leeds Nuffield Hospital, where he treats patients from across the whole of the country and from abroad.
Professor Lodge is an internationally renowned hepatobiliary surgeon and has extensive experience in performing liver surgery. Patients from across the UK and overseas are regularly referred to him, as he undertakes complex liver surgery and often takes on cases considered to be inoperable elsewhere. He tells us more about his impressive medical background in his own words.
“In addition, I have specialist practice in gallbladder surgery and bariatric (weight loss) surgery for which there is an increasing demand. I am also one of the world’s most experienced surgeons in abdominal organ transplantation.
“I qualified in medicine at the University of Leeds with a MB ChB on 29th June 1983 and a FRCS in London on 10th May 1988, plus a MD at the University of Leeds on 10th December 1993. After training in surgery in the Yorkshire Hospitals and at Harvard Medical School – I became a consultant surgeon at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds in 1992 and was awarded a Chair in Surgery – many years later in 2004.
“In 2013, I was awarded a Fellowship of the European Board of Surgery, FEBS. I am also a member of several international surgical societies, most notably the European Surgical Association, where I work as a member of Council and the European and African Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, where I am now an executive council member and treasurer.”
Professor Lodge has been involved in legal work for several years. This has included defending very senior surgeons at the GMC (the UK medical regulatory body) and carrying out investigations for the GMC. In addition, he carries out detailed reviews of surgery services and individual surgeon reviews for the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. This involves making recommendations about how to improve the service offered to patients. Professor Lodge tells is more about his work around legal reports for medical cases and involvement with several experts based in the UK.
“I have been doing legal reports for medical cases for many years. Example cases have dealt with injury and death related to cholecystectomy, liver resection and liver transplantation and major abdominal trauma. I also regularly deal with cases relating to weight loss (bariatric) surgery. I have been instructed in approximately 60% for defence and 40% for the claimant. I understand that lawyers and the courts must work to tight deadlines, so I aim to be always on time and work within reasonable financial constraints.”
On winning the Most Highly Regarded Expert Witnesses 2017 from the UK accolade, Professor Lodge said it was exciting to receive the notification, before imparting his thoughts in the most pressing issues surrounding the industry today and where he seems himself in five years’ time.
“Any increased publicity is helpful for a small company like mine. To be recognised for doing high quality work is always a bonus.”
“Medico-legal work is increasing – as patients become more aware that they may have a claim – if things go wrong with surgery. I think it important to provide a balanced a realistic view when reviewing a case as an expert. This is important – so that the court makes the correct decision – otherwise valuable time and money will be wasted. In addition, reputations can be damaged by inappropriate claims, so it is an expert’s duty to make sure that a claim is relevant before starting a proceeding.
“I hope to build my medico-legal business over the next 10 years. I think it important that there are experts available, with the necessary experience and temperament, so that a balanced view is given for every case.”
Testimonials about Professor Lodge
“I have worked with several experts from the UK, and your report is one of the most comprehensive and thorough reports I have seen. Our client will be very pleased, and I am glad that you were engaged as our client’s expert.”
legalclinic.com, Singapore, May 2015. This case was won following Prof Lodge’s evidence without contest in March 2017.
“I appreciate your extremely thorough approach and very clear way of structuring the report. It was very easy to follow your line of reasoning and I will note in our internal feedback that I regard it to be an excellent report.”
GMC Legal, November 2014. The claimant’s case was rejected on Prof Lodge’s recommendation.
