Dr Nick Plunkett is a highly experienced Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, with a career spanning over two decades in clinical practice and more than 15 years in medico-legal work. Known for his balanced and forensic approach to complex personal injury and clinical negligence cases, he is regularly instructed by both Claimant and Defendant solicitors. Dr Plunkett combines clinical excellence with a deep understanding of legal processes, making him a trusted expert witness in courts across the UK and beyond.
Dr Nick Plunkett is a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine with over 15 years of experience in medico-legal practice. He is instructed approximately equally for both Claimant and Defendant cases, with a balanced portfolio comprising complex personal injury and clinical negligence claims.
Dr Plunkett is known for his prompt communication and straightforward, approachable style when working with legal professionals. He provides timely reports addressing breach of duty, causation, and condition and prognosis. His clinical expertise spans a wide range of pain conditions, including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), post-spinal surgery pain and disability (including cauda equina syndrome), neuropathic pain, chronic post-surgical pain syndromes, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and chronic widespread pain/fibromyalgia.
He consults with Claimants at Parkhead rooms in Sheffield, with occasional appointments in London and Birmingham, and carries out domiciliary visits across the UK. He has prepared reports for courts in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands. Dr Plunkett has received formal training in medico-legal matters through numerous courses and educational events and has attended court on three occasions.
Current Appointments:
Dr Plunkett is currently employed as a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and holds the title of Honorary Senior Lecturer in Anaesthesia at the University of Sheffield (since January 2004). He works on an 85% full-time consultant contract, managing new and follow-up patients and performing a wide range of interventional procedures as part of his current NHS role.
Pain medicine is his subspecialty within anaesthesia. His advanced pain training was undertaken in New Zealand, where he achieved the FFPMANZCA by examination. He also holds the FFPMRCA, awarded by the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
Leadership and Contributions:
Dr Plunkett has played a key role in national training and assessment within the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM). He served as Chair of Examiners from May 2017 to April 2023 and has been a member of the FPM Board since May 2018, contributing to strategic and operational initiatives and multiple workstreams.
He led the Pain Service at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals for ten years, up to August 2021. During this period, he collaborated with colleagues in secondary and primary care to innovate and expand the service into the leading multidisciplinary regional pain clinic in South Yorkshire, managing over 2,500 referrals per year.
Dr Plunkett has presented at both national and international conferences, chaired and organised specialist pain meetings, and published original research in the field of pain medicine.
