UK’s Leading Consultant Neuro-Radiologist addresses ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ at Law Firm Event

May 7, 2009 - PRLog -- On Wednesday 29 April at The Croydon Park Hotel, the UK’s foremost Consultant Neuro-Radiologist Dr Neil Stoodley spoke to a packed audience of child care professionals, addressing the sensitive and devastating issue of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Speaking to judges, lawyers, police officers, CAFCASS guardians and medical professionals, Dr Stoodley outlined the latest thinking on unexplained brain haemorrhages in children, covering the differing causes from accidents to birth trauma and the difficult and highly sensitive area of inflicted injury, including ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’, a subject recently hitting the headlines amidst the controversy surrounding Apple’s new ‘Baby Shake’ game.

The consequences of shaking a baby are exceptionally serious and can include long term problems with disability, blindness, paralysis and even death.

The lecture, organised by Croydon-based family and child care legal specialists Atkins Hope (http://www.atkinshope.co.uk) as part of a series of events to mark their 20th year in legal practice, aimed to demonstrate the significance of both lawyers and doctors’ roles in ensuring the Family Court has the best and most reliable evidence available in order to make the right decisions.

Wrongly Diagnosed Cases of Child Head Injury have Devastating Consequences
Cases of unexplained head injury in babies and young children need the greatest care and expertise not only in diagnosis, but also in the presentation of evidence to the court. Wrongly diagnosed cases and badly presented evidence can have devastating consequences for everyone involved.

This type of work is incredibly demanding for any professional and requires great technical skill. Charlotte Collier, Managing Partner of Atkins Hope Solicitors, recalls one overriding message from the lecture, saying: “Dr Stoodley emphasised the importance of looking at the whole picture and of scrutinising all available information and its sources when working on these cases. Injury to babies and young children is an exceptionally emotive subject and each and every child and its family deserves the very best expertise in establishing the cause of injury so the right decisions can be made for their futures.”

About Dr Neil Stoodley
Dr Stoodley, a member of the Expert Committee of the Family Justice Council, specialises in the interpretation of scans of infants and children with congenital and acquired brain abnormalities.

As Lead Consultant in Paediatric Neuro Imaging for North Bristol NHS Trust, he is closely involved in the medico-legal aspects of cases of alleged non-accidental injury and has acted as expert witness giving evidence in the High, County, Crown and Coroners Court. Dr Stoodley also lectures extensively to other radiologists and paediatricians as well as to lawyers including the Bar and the Judiciary. He is a member of the Expert Committee of the Family Justice Council and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, The Royal College of Radiologists and The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

About Atkins Hope Solicitors
Atkins Hope Solicitors is predominantly a Family Law legal practice. Based in Croydon and covering Surrey and south London, the firm undertakes a wide scope of work involving Child Protection. Their Children and Families legal team incorporates four specialist solicitors who are members of the Law Society Children Panel and who regularly act for children, parents or other family members in cases where there are concerns about the quality of care being provided to children. Each has extensive experience in dealing with cases of head injury to babies or young children where the future of the family can depend upon the medical evidence provided to the court. Website: http://www.atkinshope.co.uk

Contact Details / Images
For further information and quotes contact Frank Saxby: 020 8680 5018 / fs@atkinshope.co.uk
Images © Picture Partnership
Contact: Andrew at Picture Partnership: 020 8656 4024 / info@picturepartnership.co.uk

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Atkins Hope Solicitors provides an extensive range of people-friendly legal services throughout Croydon & south London. We have experienced specialists on hand to deal with children & family law, property, lifetime planning, employment & personal injury. For more information visit http://www.atkinshope.co.uk