Information on Provision of Expert Opinion to Instructing Solicitors


Professor White provides expert opinion to instructing solicitors that falls within the scope of his experience, knowledge and expertise.  He is happy to accept inquiries for potential instructions in areas relating to personal injury, negligence, employment law, Equalities, housing, asylum and immigration and adult mental health cases where specific questions have arisen re psychological processes.  Professor White does not accept instructions in relation to assessments of children or young people currently under the age of 16 or family law cases where there is a requirement for an opinion on contact, child welfare and/or children's adjustment to parental separation

Qualifications

 

I have acquired the knowledge and experience, through study, professional practice and roles resulting my having subject matter expertise in respect of:

Psychology – the scientific study of the mind and how it influences behaviour, emotion, thought, memory and communication.

Clinical psychology – the study of intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioural aspects of human functioning across the life span and application to the understanding, assessment and treatment of physical and mental health problems.

Organisational culture, leadership, clinical governance and quality management within healthcare delivery systems.

Healthcare policy, strategy and delivery including legislative development, strategic frameworks and implementation within healthcare systems and across organisations.

 

Study

 

B.Sc. (Honours) Psychology First Class, University of Glasgow (1992)

Psychology degree conferring Graduate Basis for Registration as a Chartered Psychologist, covering developmental, social, cognitive, cultural psychology, psychophysiology, abnormal, statistics and advanced statistics.  

Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Therapy (with Merit), University of Durham (1997) 

Specialist training in cognitive psychotherapy for adult mental health problems, knowledge assessed through written work and clinical competence assessed through observed clinical practice.  

Doctor of Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD), University of Manchester (1995) 

  • Knowledge and assessment of clinical competence in the application of psychological science and theory in respect of the origins, maintenance and intervention across the lifespan, completing rotational training in adult psychiatry, old age psychiatry, child and family services, learning disabilities, specialist psychosis and clinical health psychology services.  
  • Knowledge of all major theoretical models of psychological therapy and assessment.
  • Observation and clinical psychology theory and practice in mental and physical health.
  • Study of neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, psychopharmacology, statistics and critical analysis of clinical research.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) – Psychological Medicine, University of Glasgow (2005) 

Psychological processes and their measurement, including the development of reliable and valid means of assessing cognitive processes involved in adjustment and how this influences the nature and severity of psychological distress. Critical analysis of academic literature in psychological medicine relating to research and understanding of research methodology and it’s application in psychological medicine.  

Masters in Medical Law (MML) – Medical Law, with Merit, University of Glasgow (2014) 

Study of medical law (case law, principles and academic literature) in respect of clinical negligence, consent and competence, decision-making for incompetent patients, confidentiality, product liability and vaccine damage, artificial reproduction, surrogacy, withholding/withdrawal of treatment, abortion and embryo research, maternal and fetal issues, human organs, assisted dying. Prevention of harm and legal sanction, negligence and standards of care, information disclosure in medical negligence, legal duties re disclosure, legal definitions of death and vegetative states, withholding and withdrawing life sustaining treatment in children, claims and damages for antenatal injury and regulation of research in embryology. Research dissertation on law in respect of disclosure in public safety interests considering adequacy of both discretionary and statutory requirements in the public interest 

Experience 

Clinical Practice

 

Since 1992 I have worked in adult mental health services in the NHS in England and, since 1995 in Scotland in a range of services in the following roles – clinical psychologist, consultant clinical psychologist, clinical lead and senior clinical management roles.

 

Since 1995 I have worked sessionally in the independent sector providing specialist psychological assessment and intervention services for adults presenting with a range of adult mental health disorders – most commonly depressive disorders, anxiety disorders (including PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorders and somatoform disorders. At any one time approximately 25% of my clinical caseload have experienced prior abusive or traumatic experiences, including physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse in childhood.

Recipient of Service Development Award, UK Faculty of Clinical Health Psychology

Completed training in Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) at the WHO SCAN Certified Training Centre (training in use of the ICD diagnostic classification system for mental and behavioural disorders).

I am trained in the following psychological interventions – cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, polyvagal therapy, methods of level therapy .

Academic

 

I worked from 1998-2004 as a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow

Honorary Professor with the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow.

Author of 27 academic papers, 3 books and 11 book chapters in clinical psychology and clinical health psychology.

 

Expertise in developing conceptual and theoretical frameworks to understand and explain psychological responses relating to adjustment to illness and in enabling clinicians and teams to improve psychological care processes within their teams and organisations.

 

I have acquired expertise in the assessment and psychological management of psychological problems occurring in adulthood and have written critically acclaimed books and papers, including contributions to the Oxford Textbook of Psychotherapy and the ABC of Psychological Medicine.

 

I was a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and has trained cognitive therapists in the UK and internationally. I was awarded Fellowship of the British Psychological Society in recognition of my contribution to the clinical psychology profession and Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in recognition of my contribution to work on governance within the NHS in Scotland.

 

Living with Complicated Grief’, published by Sheldon Press in 2013 and Highly Commended in the British Medical Association Medical Book of the Year Awards 2014

 

Leadership and Senior Management/Advisory Experience

 

Deputy Director, Psychological Services, Mental Health Services, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, (2004-2007). 

I worked from 2007-2013 as Associate Director, Executive Medical Directorate, NHS Ayrshire and Arran Board and Caldicott Guardian (2010-2014). 

I led the development of policy and legislative provisions for the introduction of the organisational duty of candour enshrined in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018 

In 2018 I chaired the Ministerial Review, section 37 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015, submitted to the Scottish Parliament in December 2018. 

Expert Opinion

 

I am recognised by the Law Society of Scotland as having the requisite experience and ability  in providing expert witness services. 

Since 1995 I have provided expert opinion on psychological issues, processes, disorders and interventions occurring in adults, covering a range of civil cases in respect of personal injury claims (including historical abuse cases), equalities law, housing law and immigration and asylum legal cases.   I complete approximately 40 expert opinion reports per annum, 60% relating to historical cases of abuse, 20% equalities and housing cases and 20% asylum, trafficking, torture and immigration issues. The ratio of instructions received has been 75% pursuer and 25% defender.  

I have given evidence to a range of Scottish Parliament inquiries committees in respect of the service I provide to Scottish Government – including the Health and Sport Committee, Justice Committee, Finance Committee, Local Government and Regeneration Committee. 

The knowledge and experience I have acquired through study, clinical and academic practice spanning clinical psychology and adult mental health services; my experience of strategic leadership in the public sector and maintenance of knowledge through relevant papers influences my work as a skilled contributor/expert witness in providing expertise not within the knowledge of legal professionals and courts.

Expert Opinion Supported by Relevant Empirical and Conceptual Research and Evaluation

As part of a fully paperless practice and integrated set of software and systems, Professor White ensures that opinion is supported by relevant empirical evidence and research.   As a clinician with two doctoral degrees (one professional and one by research) he is competent in critical analysis and understanding of research in psychological science and mental health.

He is able to access stored documents in Zotero (c) which is fully integrated with Microsoft Word and ensures comprehensive referencing of the science and professional literature that has informed his expert opinion.

By request he can set up remote access to bespoke Group Libraries within this system for instructing solicitors who wish to include key empirical evidence and papers forming part of bundles for court submission or engagement with other parties in ongoing action. 

Clicking on individual papers will provide instructing solicitors with access to the papers that have been considered and/or findings that support the expert opinion expressed in reports. 

If you or your team would like a demonstration of how the integrated functionality outlined above can support your case handling for clients please contact Professor White directly at profc@profc.org
Recent Judgments where Professor White acted as Expert Witness

Professor White has acted as an expert in the following recent cases in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in the case of ZXW v The Secretary of State for the Home Department and in also in the Court of Session in the case of A v Glasgow City Council. 

Full judgment in ZXW v The Secretary of State for the Home Department is available at https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/uk/cases/UKAITUR/2021/PA104082019.html&query=ZXW+...
Full judgment in A v Glasgow City Council is available at https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=7e255b40-de38-45e5-a6df-7df8f922bc9b