Zara Poulter

Zara specialises in Clinical Negligence. 

Zara acts for Claimants, Trusts, medical defence organisations, dental practices and individual practitioners.  She acts on a CFA basis, where appropriate, and can accommodate a quick turnaround of papers on request.  

Her practice includes a wide range of clinical disputes, with a particular interest in gynaecological and obstetric claims. 

Examples of recent cases include:

• Failures to identify pre-cancerous changes on smear test samples leading to: development of cervical cancer, salpingectomy, infertility, hysterectomy, medical menopause, urological injuries and death. Such claims have involved claims for IVF and foreign commercial surrogacy.
• Failings in the monitoring of foetal heartbeat during labour leading to hypoxic brain injury and death.
• Delayed diagnosis of laryngeal cancer leading to laryngectomy, loss of taste and smell, speech difficulties, and swallow difficulties leading to nutritional issues.  
• Incorrect grading of and failure to treat a perineal tear during childbirth leading to permanent nerve damage, chronic pain and PTSD.
• Failure to diagnose stroke leading to extensive neurological deficits.
• Prescription of an incorrect dose of anticoagulants leading to a retroperitoneal bleed and death.
• Informed consent in relation to gynaecologic surgery, double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, bariatric surgery and abdominoplasty.
• Nerve damage sustained during hip replacement surgery.
• Secondary victim claims. 

Zara’s Personal Injury practice encompasses road traffic accidents, employers’ liability, public liability and product liability matters. 

Recent cases include claims/injuries of the following nature:

• Amputation (lower limb, forefoot and fingers);
• Fatal accident and dependency claims;
• Chronic pain;
• Degloving injuries;
• Post-concussion syndrome;
• Post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Psychiatric injuries arising out of stress at work. 

Zara acts for Claimants and Defendants in claims involving breach of the Data Protection Act (1998 and 2018), misuse of private information, breach of confidence, and breach of the Human Rights Act 1998. Her practice in this area has a particular focus on misuse of private information and data breaches arising in a medical context, in line with her expertise in Medical Law. 

• Recent cases include:
• Inaccurate data in medical records;
• Disclosure of medical records;
• Publication of images of a patient without consent;
• Disclosure of adoptive parents’ personal data;
• Data breaches in social care;
• Data breaches by the police;