Meet the Team - Betsi Cadwaladr

Meet the Team - Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB Team

The Betsi team, or more aptly mis-typed "Besti", operates within the clinical negligence department of NWSSP Legal & Risk Services, based at Companies House in Cardiff.

The team is led by Elizabeth Dawson and ably supported by senior and junior solicitors, paralegals and our esteemed legal secretary.

Our Team

We are a merry band of seven solicitors, Liz, Tracey, David, Gemma Cooper, Gemma Utley, Gareth and Settor, two paralegals Abigail and Ruth, and our extremely efficient and always smiling secretary, Eleanor.

Our Work

The team acts for BCULHB and also for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) primarily in the defence of clinical negligence civil claims, which can range from complex and high-value claims e.g. brain injured infants to simple delays in diagnosing fractures. We also represent our clients at inquests as well as advising on legal costs issues and general medical legal advices. 

As a whole, the team has acquired 83 years of legal knowledge and experience which is quite an accomplishment.   Whilst  the majority of the team were "born" into Legal and Risk we also have members of our team, namely Gemma Utley, Settor, Ruth and Abigail who bring with them experience from working in private practice on behalf of claimants.

There is a plethora of knowledge and experience within our team:-

Gemma Cooper and Gareth have a keen interest in costs law and both are fluent in the Welsh Language as is Ruth, which comes in particularly useful with our North Wales client.

Gemma Cooper also heads up the Putting Things Right (PTR) team and with Gareth they regularly chair video conference meetings with the concerns managers and clinicians, overseeing concerns and investigations raised under the Scheme and any issues arising. The team as a whole also assist with PTR, regularly advising on investigations and outcomes and supporting the Health Board.

David is a former mental health nurse and with his practical knowledge and experience provides mental health advices to assist the Complex Care team within our department.

As a means of managing risk and improvement for the Health Board all the team are experienced in and provide regular medical legal talks to a range of medical health care professionals covering a wide variety of subjects.

Achievements

The team was recently nominated for an award in the 2018 NWSSP Staff Awards  in the category of “Working Together” due to the strong team ethics. The nomination clearly caught the eye of the judges as instead the team was honoured and pleasantly surprised to receive the prestigious, top award of "Team of the Year" at the ceremony in December; clear recognition of great team work and the comprehensive legal service we provide to our clients in North Wales. 

The recognition and value is further demonstrated by an example of testimonies received from clients:-

"The L&R Team always go above and beyond to assist with all aspects of claims management, sharing their knowledge and experience. They are extremely supportive and you very much feel part of the team, working towards one aim of achieving a swift resolutions to claims and enhancing patient safety."

"Without exception ever member of your team is friendly, conscientious and never moan when we ring with a request for advice/help; they are definitely a phenomenal asset to BCUHB."

"As a team they go above and beyond for the health board."

"We all feel we are able to pick up the phone any time and ask for help and advice. We appreciate that the Team is currently under increased pressure due to absences but are still always happy to help, friendly and approachable at all times."

"We feel that we have a really good working relationship with all at Legal and Risk and feel that we all work well together. "

Gemma C -  "....Her support and knowledge has been invaluable, and her passion for PTR was clear from the outset. Gemma has given so much of her time to the project and because of this, we have been successful in so many ways from ensuring the reports have had a thorough, timely and fair legal review to supporting me with advising families of their options under PTR."

Life on the outside

It's not all work for the Betsi/WAST team as we all have interests away from the office. Our Team secretary, Eleanor, enjoys escaping for walks with her dog or a weekend break with her family. David is a keen runner having taken part in a number of 10K and half marathon challenges.  For a change of pace he also plays ukulele. Tracey, who car shares with David, is not quite ready to be serenaded on the M4 by David and his ukulele but it would be better than listening to his history lessons . Another keen sportsman is Gareth, a Swansea City supporter at heart, he enjoys playing or watching football, rugby or golf.  Following on the football theme, Tracey, also a Swans supporter, is an accredited FAW football coach.

Our newest recruit, Settor was previously a Welsh Junior tennis champion and still tries to get on the tennis court when he's not in a law court! Our creative members are Liz, Abigail and Gemma. Abigail is a keen artist and both Liz and Gemma like to cook and bake. The team has frequently benefited from their culinary skills.  When they are not cooking and baking, Liz enjoys crossfit, motorbike racing (watching) attending MotoGP races in the UK and abroad, taking many a selfie with World Champion riders (she assures us she is not a stalker!) and Gemma C enjoys running and jetting off for city breaks. Tracey also likes to travel and has visited quite a few Caribbean islands and been subjected to zip wires in the rainforest. Ruth is hot on the trail as a new runner who can be regularly found stepping up the pace  on the trail at the weekly Cardiff Park Run but she also enjoys a good swim.  On a more leisurely note Gemma Utley enjoys Pilates, spending time with her family, with breaks home and abroad and has musical interests, having been part of Barbershop signing groups.

If you would like to find out more about our team then please visit our website and our individual profiles. As a team we are immensely proud of the high level of service we provide and with team work we truly are the Team of the Year.