Future Provision of Medical Reports in Road Traffic Accident related Personal Injury Claims

Published: 18 April 2019

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published a consultation entitled ‘Future Provision of Medical Reports in Road Traffic Accident related Personal Injury Claims’ as part of its programme to reform the soft tissue injury (‘whiplash’) claims process (18 April 2019).

The consultation is seeking views on:

  • Expanding MedCo’s remit to cover initial medical reports for all Road Traffic Accident (RTA) related personal injury claims up to £5000
  • Whether to widen the type of medical expert who can be registered on the MedCo system
  • Whether to extend the existing fixed recoverable costs regime for medical reports
  • The procedure for unrepresented claimants to obtain medical evidence.

Martin Heskins, Executive Chair of the MedCo Board, says:

“MedCo welcomes the opportunity to be consulted on these important issues. Since the beginning of 2019 we have been considering various options for the future of medical reporting that will provide a simple and efficient service for unrepresented claimants and puts all claimants at the heart of the process. Our main aim is to ensure that all claimants are provided with a medical reporting service of the highest quality.”

MedCo will be responding to the consultation and will publish its response in due course.

Background

  • MedCo is the system used to facilitate the sourcing of the first fixed cost medical report in soft tissue injury claims brought under the MoJ’s Pre-Action Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury Claims in Road Traffic Accidents
  • The outcomes of the MoJ consultation will feed directly into its wider ‘whiplash’ reform programme to be implemented in April 2020 which includes:
    • Raising the small claims limit from £1000 to £5000 in all RTA personal injury claims
    • Introduction of a tariff for general damages in “whiplash” claims
    • Prohibition on settling such claims without a medical report.

Read the consultation at: MoJ Consultation – Future provision of medical reports

 

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