Will I Need A Medical Assessment?

If you’re making a personal injury claim it is usual for your case handler to arrange for you to attend an independent professional medical assessment by a Doctor – often a GP (though not your own) but sometimes a Consultant. An assessment is often needed in order to ascertain how serious your injuries are and your expected recovery period.

What happens at a medical assessment?

The assessment will typically take around 20-30 minutes dependent on the extent of your injuries. The independent medical expert will ask you a series of questions about the accident you were involved in, or the negligent treatment that you received. This will include questions about your symptoms, the effect of your injuries/illness on your day to day life and your subsequent treatment.

It is also likely that they will carry out a physical examination. However this is dependent on the extent of your injuries and how well you have recovered since the accident.

The main purpose of the medical is to determine how long it will take you to recover from your injuries, if you will have any long lasting or permanent damages and if you need to have any form of rehabilitation to aid your recovery.

What happens after the medical assessment?

The medical expert will write a report which your case handler will send to you for your approval. The medical report, outlines their findings and any recommendations for future treatment. This will be used as evidence in quantifying your claim.

Once you and your solicitor are happy that the report represents the true extent of your injuries, it will then be sent to the defendant’s solicitors.

Will I need to pay for my medical assessment?

Your medical assessment is paid for by your solicitor, with the costs reclaimed from the third party at the end of the claims process.

Can I choose the doctor that will do the assessment?

It is not possible to choose the doctor who will conduct your medical assessment, as they need to remain entirely impartial. Your claims handler will choose one of their nominated independent medical professionals to assess your injuries and advise on future treatment.

How far will I need to travel to the medical assessment?

We will always try out best to arrange for the medical assessment to take place as close to where you live as possible. The assessment will typically take place in a private medical clinic.

During the current outbreak of Covid-19 medical assessments will be conducted via video-link whenever possible.

What is a ‘pre-medical offer’?

A pre-medical offer is made by the defendant or their insurer when they want to settle the claim without the need for the claimant to attend a medical assessment.

Whilst it may be tempting to agree to the pre-medical offer in order to settle your claim quickly, we would advise against doing so in most circumstances. This is because the offer is only likely to be quantified based on your visible injuries, whereas you may be suffering from other injuries or illness which aren’t visibly noticeable. An independent medical assessment will highlight all injuries.

Do you need to see my medical records?

It is not always necessary for us to see your entire medical history, this is dependent on the seriousness or complexity of your injuries.

When evaluating catastrophic injuries it can be necessary to include your full medical history as part of the assessment of your injuries. It is important to note that all information is treated as entirely confidential and medical history will only be used in order to help us to work out a correct and fair settlement figure.

Can I make a claim if I have a pre-existing medical condition?

A pre-existing medical condition will not affect you making a claim. If your existing condition is made worse following your accident you could be eligible to claim for any additional pain and suffering.

If you have been injured or suffered ill health due to the negligent actions of someone else in the last three years, you could be entitled to compensation. True Solicitors have been handling personal injury claims for 25 years and will handle your claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.

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