Dr Sumit Kumar Dutta, FRCEM, RCPathME

Consultant in Emergency Medicine | Certified Expert Witness in Civil and Criminal Law

Dr Dutta is a highly experienced Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Medical Examiner and Cardiff University Bond Solon Certified Expert Witness in both Civil and Criminal Law. He is the founder of Equitas Medicolegal, an independent expert witness practice providing impartial, evidence-based medical opinion for civil litigation and criminal proceedings.

He has worked in Emergency Medicine since 2006 and has held a substantive Consultant appointment at Kingston & Richmond NHS Foundation Trust since 2013. His extensive frontline clinical experience encompasses the assessment, diagnosis and management of a broad spectrum of acute illness, traumatic injury and medical emergencies, including complex and time-critical presentations.

Alongside his clinical responsibilities, Dr Dutta serves as Joint Clinical Lead for the Emergency Department. His wider professional experience includes clinical governance, serious incident investigation, complaints management, medical education, workforce leadership and patient safety. These responsibilities have given him a detailed understanding of clinical decision-making, professional standards, organisational systems and the practical challenges of delivering safe emergency care.

He is an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Instructor and has previously held instructorships in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS) and the Generic Instructor Course (GIC).

As a Medical Examiner for Kingston and Richmond, Dr Dutta undertakes independent scrutiny of deaths, reviewing the circumstances of care, evaluating clinical documentation, assessing the proposed medical causes of death and identifying potential concerns relating to patient management. His responsibilities include identifying deaths requiring notification to His Majesty's Coroner and engaging with coronial processes where appropriate. He has first-hand experience of giving evidence at Coroner's inquests, providing him with practical insight into the presentation and scrutiny of medical evidence in a formal judicial setting.

This work requires a sound understanding of the statutory framework governing death certification, the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 and the distinction between medical scrutiny and coronial investigation. His combined experience in death scrutiny, coronial proceedings and clinical governance has further developed his ability to critically evaluate medical evidence, communicate complex clinical findings clearly and objectively, and address questions concerning clinical decision-making, standards of care and causation.

Dr Dutta holds Fellowship of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (FRCEM) and has undertaken formal expert witness training and certification through Cardiff University Bond Solon in both Civil and Criminal Law. His training has provided a thorough grounding in the legal principles, procedural requirements and professional obligations governing expert evidence, including the Civil Procedure Rules Part 35, the associated Practice Direction 35 and the Criminal Procedure Rules Part 19. He understands the importance of independence, evidential disclosure, the distinction between fact and opinion, and the need to provide clear, reasoned conclusions that can withstand legal scrutiny.

Through Equitas Medicolegal, Dr Dutta provides independent expert opinion on matters involving Emergency Department assessment and management, diagnostic decisions, treatment, clinical escalation, referral, discharge, standards of care and patient safety. His expertise extends to the evaluation of clinical records, alleged breaches of duty, causation where appropriate, and medical issues arising within criminal proceedings.

His professional approach is founded upon impartiality, clinical rigour and intellectual integrity. He recognises that an expert witness's overriding duty is to assist the Court through independent, objective and evidence-based opinion. His conclusions are carefully reasoned, firmly grounded in the available evidence and confined to matters within his professional expertise.

Through Equitas Medicolegal, Dr Dutta is committed to providing clear, balanced and authoritative expert evidence that withstands scrutiny, assists the Court in understanding complex medical issues and contributes to the fair administration of justice.

Veritas Ex Peritia — Truth from Expertise.