Sam Holden

Full Profile

Sam acts on behalf of Medical Protection, Trusts and private medical malpractice insurers to represent doctors and healthcare organisations. His case load includes claims of the utmost severity, birth asphyxia, neurological injury and arising from meningitis.   

In addition, Sam acts on behalf of Trusts and private medical malpractice insurers to represent doctors, healthcare organisations and care homes at inquests and in regulatory proceedings, as well as providing general healthcare advice on issues such as capacity and consent. His cases often involve considerable media attention.

He regularly presents seminars to doctors and NHS Trusts and has authored a Guide for Clinicians published by Independent Practitioner Today.   He has been described by clients as adopting a "calm and meaningful approach" and providing "iron-clad support".

Experience

• Successfully defending a neurosurgeon at trial, where it was alleged that inappropriate surgical technique had caused a neurological injury
• Successfully defending an alleged failure to manage neonatal hypoglycaemia resulting in severe brain injury
• Representing a plastic surgeon in GMC proceedings following allegations of taking photographs without consent
• Defending an orthopaedic surgeon in a claim brought by a professional footballer arising out of a failure to surgically treat a scaphoid fracture; the claim discontinued at trial and a full costs recovery on the indemnity basis was secured
• Defending three NHS Trusts in a fatal accidents claim arising from the delayed diagnosis of hydrocephalus in a three-year old child undergoing cancer treatment. The issues included secondary victim psychiatric claims, with considerable media interest
• Representing an NHS Trust in combined criminal, civil, coronial and judicial review proceedings, where it was alleged that a patient had been unlawfully permitted to die in A&E
• Acting in leading cases looking at experts’ duties, recovery of education costs and anonymity proceedings
• Representing an NHS Trust at a complex inquest into the death of a patient after pancreatic damage during radical cytoreductive surgery