Medicolegal Services at Spinal Healthcare
Medicolegal services are often assumed to be about medical malpractice or medical negligence, but in fact there are many cases involving a personal injury claim, where the individual is suing another individual or company on the grounds of personal injury. These claims have increased dramatically since the ‘no win, no fee’ structure for claims was introduced.
With the increase in claims there has also been an increase in the need for people to act as medico legal experts, yet there is still a lot of ignorance about the role of medico legal services and what we do!
Liaison With Legal Professionals
One important aspect of medic legal services is liaison between medical professionals and legal professionals; in fact this is the fundamental basis of all medico legal work; but what does it mean?
Well this liaison refers to undertaking specific medical cases on the recommendation of legal professionals such as lawyers, solicitors, barristers or even insurance companies. Sometimes this can take the form of attending court to act as an Expert Witness. Sometimes it could be attending a meeting or conference to discuss a case in detail. There are many different situations where the legal professionals working on a case need to have input from suitably qualified and expert medical professionals.
Sometimes medical reports can be scrutinised or treatment options can be discussed, either in Court or on a more informal basis. Communication can be face to face, written reports or formal evidence in court: the circumstances vary according to the individual case involved.
Medical Assessments
Sometimes the medico legal team deal directly with claimants. This means that if someone has experienced an injury or trauma, then they may need to have a medical opinion that is offered to either offer a different diagnosis, a different course of treatment, or which will simply corroborate the existing diagnosis.
It is often assumed that those who work as medico legal experts will all be specialised consultants, but in fact medical professionals from different fields may be involved in medic legal assessments. For example, if an assessment of someone’s needs is made, then it may be appropriate for a physiotherapist to be involved and to look at any aids or adaptations that may need to be provided, so that they can return to ‘normal’ life as soon as possible. So it is about recognising medical expertise appropriate to the person who is being assessed and the needs of that person in terms of the person as a whole.
Expert Knowledge
The one common area of ground that all medical professionals who work within the field of medico legal work share, is that they are all expert in their field. All Spinal Healthcare medical experts have undergone rigorous training to ensure that they are suitably qualified to act as medico legal experts and that is why Spinal Healthcare are so proud to act as medico legal experts and offer this service to people, companies and legal professionals, all of whom are involved in litigation.
