Mr Oliver Richards
MBChB (Hons) | BSc (Hons) | FRCS (SN)
Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon
I am a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon (Locum) currently practising at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool. My practice encompasses paediatric neuro-oncology, neurovascular, trauma and hydrocephalus subspecialty work.
I completed my neurosurgical training in Yorkshire and hold a Certificate of Completion of Training in Neurosurgery (2023). I undertook a clinical fellowship in Paediatric Neurosurgery at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto. Prior to my current post I held consultant posts, each on a locum basis, at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and, before that, at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
I sit on the panel for the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations Question Writing for the Neurosurgery exit examination, am an OSCE examiner at the University of Liverpool School of Medicine, and am a Specialty Advisor for the Neurosurgery Update published by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. I am a Sub-Investigator on the ENLIVEN-UK multicentre trial, recruiting, operating on and following up patients within my unit.
I completed the Bond Solon Course in Report Writing for Expert Witnesses in May 2026. A medico-legal curriculum vitae, formatted for appending to expert reports, is available to download below.
Download CV (PDF) Contact for Expert Opinion
Qualifications
- CCT Neurosurgery (2023)
- FRCS (SN) (2022)
- MRCS (Eng) (2016)
- MBChB (Hons) — University of Leeds (2012)
- BSc (Hons) Anatomy — University of Leeds (2010)
Current Post
Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon (Locum)
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
October 2025 – Present
Verification
Registration and specialist status can be confirmed directly with the regulator.
GMC Specialist Register: Neurosurgery
Curriculum Vitae
Medico-legal CV, four pages, formatted for appending to expert reports.
Expert Witness Training
Report Writing for Expert Witnesses — Bond Solon (May 2026)
Appointments & Roles
- Panel Member — JCIE Question Writing Panel, Neurosurgery Exit Examination
- OSCE Examiner — University of Liverpool School of Medicine
- Specialty Advisor — RCS England Neurosurgery Update
Professional Experience
Consultant Posts
Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon (Locum)
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool
Subspecialty practice in neuro-oncology and neurovascular surgery, hydrocephalus, and paediatric spinal disorders.
Consultant Paediatric & Adult Neurosurgeon (Locum)
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Consultant paediatric neurosurgical practice with adult neurosurgical on-call cover.
Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon (Locum)
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Fellowship
International Fellow in Clinical Paediatric Neurosurgery
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Canada
Subspecialty exposure including paediatric epilepsy surgery, functional neurosurgery, MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy, and complex oncological and endoscopic practice.
Neurosurgical Training
Neurosurgery Run-Through Training
Yorkshire & The Humber (West) — Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Senior House Officer — Neurosurgery
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Foundation Years Training
Yorkshire & The Humber (West)
Medico-Legal Practice
Independent Expert Witness
Richards Medico Legal Ltd
Instructions accepted from claimant and defendant solicitors and insurers in paediatric neurosurgical matters, including clinical negligence and personal injury. Reports prepared in accordance with Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
Member
UK Register of Expert Witnesses
Listed under paediatric neurosurgery in the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, published by J S Publications.
Research & Publications
I have published in the peer-reviewed neurosurgical literature and have presented work nationally and internationally. The entries below are a selection of recent output rather than a complete record; a full publications list is available on request.
Active Research
ENLIVEN-UK — National Randomised Controlled Trial
Sub-Investigator: recruiting, operating on and following up trial patients within the unit. Endoscopic Lavage after Intraventricular Haemorrhage in Neonates in the UK — a national randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of neuro-endoscopic lavage.
Book Chapters
Prenatal Neurosurgery
Richards O. & Ibrahim G. In: Ethical Challenges for the Future of Neurosurgery, ed. Ammar A. & Bernstein M. Springer Nature, Switzerland.
Pediatric-Like Brain Tumors in Adults
Dias S.F., Richards O., Elliot M. & Chumas P. In: Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery — Volume 50, ed. Di Rocco C. Springer Nature, Switzerland (2024): 147–183. PMID: 38592530
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications (2019–2024)
Intraoperative Changes in Large-scale Thalamic Circuitry Following Laser Ablation of Hypothalamic Hamartomas
Mithani K., Richards O., Ebden M. et al. NeuroImage: Clinical (2024) 42: 103613. PMID: 38714093
Craniocervical Fusion in the Paediatric Population — Case Series of 21 Patients
Richards O., Saeed F., Derham C. & Tyagi A. British Journal of Neurosurgery (2024) 38(1): 116–121. PMID: 36722455
A Comparison of the Extent of Resection in Pineal Region Tumours via the Occipital Transtentorial and Supracerebellar Infratentorial Approaches
Richards O., Gelder C., Nisar S. et al. British Journal of Neurosurgery (2024) 38(3): 568–572. PMID: 34009093
Hemispherectomy at The Hospital for Sick Children: Expanded Indications and Lessons Learned Over 35 Years
Mithani K., Quon J.L., Breitbart S. et al. (Richards O.L., sixth author). Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics (2024) 34(3): 252–259. PMID: 38941627
Supraorbital Minicraniotomy for Open Ommaya Reservoir Placement in Pediatric Craniopharyngiomas: A Case Series and Technical Report
Greuter L., Richards O., Malik N. et al. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics (2023) 32(4): 421–427. PMID: 37410604
Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumours — A Single Centre, 10-Year Review of Clinical and Pathological Outcomes
Richards O., Goacher E., Pal D., Tyagi A., Chumas P. & Derham C. British Journal of Neurosurgery (2021) 35(2): 125–128. PMID: 32441154
Antibiotic or Silver versus Standard Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts (BASICS): A Multicentre, Single-Blinded, Randomised Trial and Economic Evaluation
Mallucci C.L., Jenkinson M.D., Conroy E.J. et al.; BASICS Study Collaborators (Richards O., collaborator). The Lancet (2019) 394(10208): 1530–1539. PMID: 31522843
Outcome and Prognostic Features in Paediatric Pineoblastomas: Analysis of Cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Registry (1990–2007)
Selvanathan S., Richards O., Alli S. et al. Acta Neurochirurgica (2019) 161(9): 1799–1807. PMID: 31104125
Selected Presentations (2021–2023)
20-Year Experience of Surgical Management of Paediatric Craniopharyngioma
International Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery, Chile — Oral presentation
Childhood Tumours in Adults — A Single Centre Analysis
European Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Rome — Oral; Society of British Neurological Surgeons, Cork — Oral
Large Scale Network Changes After MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Hypothalamic Hamartoma
Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation Congress, Canada — Oral
MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Hypothalamic Hamartoma — The SickKids Experience
Joint Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery (AANS/CNS), Washington DC — Poster
Open Surgical Resection for Pineal Region Tumours in Children
International Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery, Singapore — Oral
Prizes & Awards
British Neurosurgical Trainee Association Codman Travelling Fellowship Award
GR8X Award — Recognition of Excellent Care
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust