Becoming a Nursing Expert Witness in Tissue Viability – A Guide for First-Time Experts

What You Need to Know Before You Start

If you’re a Band 7+ Tissue Viability Nurse with deep clinical insight and professional integrity, expert witness work may be the natural next step in your career. If you're unsure about where to begin, this guide is for you.

Expert witness roles are not about giving opinions—they’re about providing carefully reasoned, objective analysis of whether professional standards were met. It’s a serious responsibility, but one that offers flexibility, respect, and real-world impact.

At Apex Experts, we work with senior nurses across the UK to ensure they’re fully supported in as expert witnesses. This article offers a roadmap so you can decide if this is right for you.

What Does a Tissue Viability Nursing Expert Witness Do?

TVN expert witnesses are called upon to provide independent, professional opinions on whether care met the expected standards. You’ll be instructed on a range of case types, which may include:

• Pressure ulcer prevention and management

• Wound dehiscence and surgical site infections

• Care planning and documentation

• Escalation, referrals, and delays in intervention

• Multidisciplinary decisions around complex or palliative wound care

  
  

You won’t be deciding fault or blame - your role is to analyse the evidence and share a clearly articulated, unbiased view.

How Your Clinical Experience Already Prepares You

Many nurses think you need legal experience to get started, when in reality, your clinical judgment, attention to detail, and documentation literacy are already the foundations of good expert work. You’ll have likely:

• Assessed risk and planned wound care

• Raised concerns and escalated when needed

• Justified decisions in notes and MDTs

• Audited practice or contributed to root cause analysis

• Guided or mentored junior staff

  
  

These are precisely the kinds of thinking you’ll use when writing expert reports.

What Support Will I Receive?

At Apex Experts, our approach is built around empowerment and clarity. We support you every step of the way and offer:

• Training in CPR 35 and expert report writing

• Ongoing guidance and one-to-one mentoring

• Comprehensive case administration – we liaise with solicitors, handle deadlines, manage documents and can offer guidance on structuring your reports

• A secure digital system for file sharing

• Clear and timely case allocation with no pressure to take on anything you're not comfortable with

  
  

We also offer dedicated administrative support throughout the whole process, ensuring that you are able to focus on the clinical side of things.

Will This Work Around My Clinical Role?

Absolutely. Expert witness work is entirely flexible. You remain in control of how many cases you take, and when you complete them.

You can accept work during quieter periods in your rota, or plan reports during annual leave or study time - you’re not tied to shifts or contracts. This makes it ideal for senior nurses who want meaningful consultancy work that fits around clinical leadership roles.

What Kind of Nurses Do We Work With?

We are looking for senior Tissue Viability Nurses who:

• Are NMC-registered and currently practising

• Are Band 7 or higher

• Have 10+ years post-registration experience

• Are confident writers and strong critical thinkers

• Are interested in professionalism, standards, and fair process

  
  

You don’t need any legal training, however you do need the ability to reflect objectively on clinical care, explain your reasoning clearly, and engage with the process in a timely and organised way.

What Impact Can I Make?

The opinions you provide help ensure:

• Nursing care is understood accurately in court and regulatory settings

• Standards are upheld in professional decision-making

• Clients, regulators, and judges understand what best practice looks like

• Insightful, fair, and respectful evaluations shape the outcomes of complex cases

  
  

You will help ensure that clinical reality is reflected in legal decisions, which helps protect patients and professionals alike.

Want to Learn More?

If you're a senior Tissue Viability Nurse and this sounds like something you’d like to explore, we’d love to hear from you.

Please feel free to get in touch with us at info@apexexperts.co.uk or visit www.apexexperts.co.uk and fill out our Contact Us form.

We'd start with a relaxed, informative conversation to explain what’s involved. There’s no commitment - just a helpful, professional chat about whether this could be a good fit for you.