Brett Lockhart QC appointed Chair of Independent Inquiry Panel

A senior member of the Bar of Northern Ireland has been appointed Chair of the independent inquiry panel to review the recall of neurology patients by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

Brett Lockhart QC was called to the Bar in 1982 and took silk in 2006. Mr. Lockhart has extensive experience in commercial, employment and defamation law, acting for a wide variety of corporate and insurance clients. He has advised numerous public bodies on matters of procurement and public law and has acted in a wide range of medical negligence and personal injury cases.

The independent inquiry will review the process initiated by Belfast HSC Trust in December 2016, in relation to concerns raised about the clinical practice of Dr Michael Watt. In addition, the panel will assess whether any complaints or concerns relating to Dr Watt prior to December 2016 should have provided grounds for earlier intervention. A second panel member, Dr. Hugo Mascie-Taylor, has also recently been appointed.