Ms Karen Kennedy is a Registered Midwife with a strong background in decision making, team leadership and managing high-pressure situations. She has been a Midwife since 1996 and specialises in all aspects of midwifery care with extended expertise in patient safety, clinical governance, risk management, and quality assurance within maternity services.
As an expert witness since 2022, Ms Kennedy brings detailed insight and professional analysis to a wide range of complex maternity cases. She is skilled in evaluating clinical facts, considering human factors, and applying her specialised midwifery knowledge to assess adherence to professional standards.
Ms Kennedy produces breach of duty reports used in court proceedings and prepares screening reports for initial case assessments. She also regularly provides expert opinion for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in investigations and fitness to practise cases, ensuring clarity around professional standards and clinical conduct. She explains standards of care in an accessible and evidence-based manner to assist courts, legal teams, and regulators in understanding complex maternity issues.
Ms Kennedy has over three years of experience as an expert witness. She has completed the Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate, which includes courtroom skills training, Civil Law and Procedure, excellence in report writing, and cross-examination.
She is instructed by both claimants and defendants in clinical negligence cases. Her reports are thorough, balanced, and based on current guidelines and best practices in midwifery care. She is available to provide oral evidence in court when required.
Ms Kennedy has extensive experience in cases associated with:
Clinical Negligence relating to:
Antenatal care:
Postnatal care:
Labour and birth:
Other:
Ms Kennedy’s availability is 2 -3 weeks and has a report turnaround time of 4 – 6 weeks.
Ms Kennedy is a highly experienced Registered Midwife with over 30 years of clinical practice across hospital and community settings. Known for her dedicated, compassionate and evidence-based approach, she has supported women and their families through the most significant moments of their lives, providing holistic and safe maternity care. Her clinical background includes: high-risk labour management, team leadership in fast-paced environments, multidisciplinary coordination, accurate documentation, and early recognition of complications.
In 2020, Ms Kennedy transitioned into the role of Patient Safety Quality & Governance Specialist, expanding her expertise to include incident investigation, risk analysis and quality improvement. She leads in-depth reviews of clinical incidents and produces comprehensive reports with practical recommendations to prevent recurrence and improve care delivery.
She is Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) Level 2 Safety Investigation certified, demonstrating her capability in systems-based approaches to learning from patient safety incidents. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of human factors, clinical systems and the importance of continuous learning in maternity services. Ms Kennedy’s area of specialist knowledge includes: quality and safety improvement, risk management, clinical governance and strategic maternity service development.
Ms Kennedy brings together clinical credibility, strategic insight and investigative expertise. Her work is informed by a commitment to patient safety, high standards of care and supporting legal and regulatory understanding of complex maternity issues. Her strong leadership has a proven track record in service improvement and a proactive systems-based mindset, which continues to make a meaningful contribution to maternity safety and professional accountability.
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