Will I need a medical expert report in a medical accident case?
In a medical accident claim, a medical expert’s report is usually required and can be one of the most crucial pieces of evidence to support your case.
The report will be prepared by a highly experienced medical professional selected by your solicitor, and will provide an opinion on:
- The standard of the medical treatment you received
- Whether any injury to you could have been avoided
- The long-term effects of your injuries
Prior to providing a report, a medical expert may need to assess you to gather the necessary information on your current condition, which they will then include in their report.
Medical reports are divided into two categories:
- Liability Reports: which cover breach of duty and causation
- Condition and Prognosis Reports: which cover your current status and likely prognosis
When selecting a medical expert, it’s crucial to consider their specialisation and experience. The chosen expert should have the same specialisation as the medical professional who is alleged to have provided the substandard care, and should also possess relevant experience of complex legal cases. For example, you wouldn’t ask a surgeon specialising in cardiology to advise on a case involving a bone fracture, and you wouldn’t ask a doctor specialising in children’s medicine to advise on the treatment which should have been given to an adult.
Choosing the right expert from the beginning of a case is vitally important, as it can be detrimental to the case if they do not meet the required standards and their report is weak, or doesn’t cover the most important points of your case. This can result in wasted time and money.
After receiving an expert report (or reports, as often more than one area of specialism may be relevant to your case), it is common to have a meeting with the expert/s, along with your barrister and solicitor, to review their evidence and address any questions.
Our team of specialist medical accident lawyers collaborate with the leading medical experts in various fields. This allows us to handle a wide range of compensation claims, including orthopaedic claims, sepsis claims, child birth claims, gynaecological claims. and much more.
And finally, please do not worry about the cost of obtaining a expert’s report, as the medical expert’s fee will be covered by our fully funded No Win, No Fee scheme.
For further guidance on the question, “Will I need a medical expert report?” or a free consultation with a specialist lawyer, please get in contact with our friendly team. We are here to answer any questions you may have about your case and the type of expert evidence needed to pursue a successful claim.