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Authors' reply

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Hugh Series
Affiliation:
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Jonathan Herring
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Email: hugh.series@oxep.co.uk
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Abstract

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Columns
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2017 

We are grateful to Dr Rix and colleagues for pointing out to those who might misread our editorial Reference Series and Herring1 that the Pool case has not changed the law of expert evidence, although we find it difficult to see how our brief reference to the case of Pool could be seen as misleading. They refer to their own very helpful analysis of recent case law on expert evidence in the September issue of BJPsych Advances, Reference Rix, Haycroft and Eastman2 which, unfortunately, had not been published at the time our editorial went to press.

Readers who would like a full and scholarly account of the law on expert evidence are referred to Hodgkinson & James, Reference Hodgkinson and James3 although even the most recent edition (2015) was not able to include discussion of Squire and Pool. We look forward with much interest not only to the publication of Rix et al's further article in Advances, but also to the revision of CR193, the College's guidance on the responsibilities of experts. All of us who give expert evidence are of course also required to take note of the relevant GMC guidance. 4

References

1 Series, H, Herring, J. Doctor in court: what do lawyers really need from doctors, and what can doctors learn from lawyers? Br J Psychiatry 2017; 211: 135–6.Google Scholar
2 Rix, K, Haycroft, A, Eastman, N. Danger in deep water or just ripples in the pool: has the Pool judgment changed the law on expert evidence? BJPsych Advances 2017; 23: 347–57.Google Scholar
3 Hodgkinson, T, James, M. Expert Evidence: Law and Practice (4th edn). Sweet and Maxwell, 2015.Google Scholar
4 General Medical Council. Giving Evidence as an Expert Witness. GMC, 2017 (http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/21193.asp).Google Scholar
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