Newsletter Nov 2021 – Meet CFC’s Med Mal Claims Adjusters

Get to know CFC’s Medical Malpractice Claims Adjusters

In the unfortunate event that you are subject to a claim or a complaint, you will want to be reassured that you are supported throughout this process by people who understand what you are facing.

CFC are delighted to introduce some of our in-house specialist Claims Adjusters: Chris Shakallis and Charlie Ware, who are on hand to support OTSIS members (insured with CFC) when things go wrong. Both have vast experience gained at one of the large UK medical defence organisations which is detailed below.

Chris works in the healthcare and medical malpractice space where he provides assistance with complaints, claims, and regulatory proceedings. He has a wealth of experience with UK medical malpractice claims, having spent five years at the Medical Defence Union (MDU) handling clinical negligence claims against dentists, GPs and surgeons.

Chris has assisted surgeons, dentists, and GPs in claims worth anything from a few hundred pounds well into the millions. Chris was trained to handle claims from initial notification right through to resolution and has successfully defended claims at trial both in the UK and other jurisdictions.

Chris also has experience handling claims on behalf of NHS Trusts, covering the full range of medical and dental specialties across primary, secondary, and tertiary care.

Chris joined CFC in April 2020 as part of the Specialty Claims team, where he aids and supports surgeons and other healthcare professionals insured with CFC.

Charlie has a legal background and is an experienced medical malpractice claims adjuster, having also worked at the MDU for seven years before joining CFC.

At the MDU, Charlie built his expertise handling an extensive array of clinical negligence claims, predominantly against surgeons and GPs. From speculative, low value claims right up to complicated, high value ones that require numerous experts and take years to conclude due to medically or legally complex issues. Charlie also has ample data protection experience and spearheaded the organisation’s initiatives to combat the increasingly disproportionate fees charged by claimant lawyers.

During his career, Charlie has managed an extensive array of clinical and non-clinical claims and complaints (including regulatory matters) made against NHS and private clinicians. He has worked closely with a wide variety of clinicians involved in these matters, including GPs, nurses, HCAs, surgeons, dentists and dental nurses, therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, as well as healthcare organisations and practices.

Charlie joined CFC in March 2021 and works alongside Chris assisting CFC’s policyholders.

Together, Charlie and Chris use their vast experience to support CFC’s policyholders with claims, complaints, and regulatory proceedings. Both have a hands-on approach and remain heavily involved in every step of the claims process. Chris and Charlie are adept at resolving complaints at local level with a well-drafted response but are equally capable of identifying and robustly defending unmeritorious claims.

Look out for future articles from CFC with helpful tips, case studies and insider knowledge.