Dr Richard Francis

Profile

Dr Richard Francis is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, specialising in amputee and prosthetic rehabilitation. He has extensive experience in the assessment, treatment and long-term management of patients with complex physical disabilities, limb loss and congenital limb differences.

Dr Francis obtained his medical degree from Imperial College London in 2011 and completed specialist training in Rehabilitation Medicine, being appointed as Consultant in 2022. He is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians and a Fellow of the European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

In his current Consultant role, Dr Francis oversees a caseload of approximately 1,600 patients, including 200 children. His clinical expertise encompasses both upper and lower limb amputations, prosthetic rehabilitation, functional recovery and the long-term physical and psychological implications of limb loss. He works with patients across all age groups and with a broad range of underlying conditions and rehabilitation requirements.

His wider clinical background includes specialist neurological rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, complex musculoskeletal conditions and the management of patients with significant physical and cognitive impairments. As part of his training, he worked across several leading London teaching hospitals and specialist rehabilitation centres, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of multidisciplinary rehabilitation and long-term care needs.

Dr Francis has contributed to peer-reviewed research on prosthetic outcomes following major limb amputation and the effectiveness of specialist spinal cord injury rehabilitation. He also regularly contributes to professional education and national specialist conferences.

His breadth of clinical experience is particularly relevant to medico-legal assessments involving amputation, prosthetic provision, functional limitations, rehabilitation requirements and future care needs. He brings a detailed understanding of the practical, medical and long-term consequences of complex injuries and disability to his medico-legal practice. Dr Francis takes direct instructions from solicitors, as well as working through a number of specialist medicolegal agencies.

Areas of Expertise

• Traumatic limb loss
• Congenital limb absence
• Limb loss due to complications of diabetes or vascular disease
• Limb loss due to polytrauma
• Limb loss due to orthopaedic complications
• Limb loss due to infection
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Amputee rehabilitation
• Prosthetic rehabilitation