18 Oct 2018
Why a Screening Report is Vital for Your Clinical Negligence Case
Knowing exactly where you stand at the outset of a Clinical Negligence case allows you to assess the potential success of the case and ensure that you have all of the necessary evidence.
Having a case where you are unsure as to whether there is merit, which expert type is required, what questions to pose to your experts and which areas of a client’s treatment were potentially suboptimal can be difficult to navigate.
To aid case validation and decision making in a Clinical Negligence case we are able to provide comprehensive screening reports to assist in identifying suboptimal levels of care.
Our screening report service is a vital part of our Clinical Negligence offering to law firms requiring validation as to whether negligence can be established in a case and the best course of action to take in terms of expert type.
Our team of GP’s led by Dr Laurence Knott – renowned physician who was a Senior Assessor for the General Medical Council and a Clinical Complaints Adviser for the Medical Defence Union - can provide you with answers to some key questions that you may want to investigate further. Our reports, produced by medical experts, are clearly explained so you and your client can easily understand all of the information provided.
So, what can you expect to see in a screening report?
Prospects of success with respect to breach of duty and causation are ranked in terms of ‘good’, ‘moderate’ or ‘low’. Defendants are identified and recommendations are made on the expert types that will be required to provide opinions on breach of duty, causation and condition & prognosis. The report will also highlight other potential claims, defendants and breaches of duty and if for any reason there is important information missing, it will also be identified.
If a Clinical Negligence case is deemed to have good prospects of success, the screening service can provide added value. Comments can be made about the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and any conflict of evidence can be identified, along with the likely link between breach of duty and causation and sometimes the link between causation and quantum. Overall, the flexibility of a screening report provides the GP with an opportunity to outline issues to the solicitor which cannot be included in a court compliant report.
How do I instruct Speed Medical?
If you have instructed us before you can contact the dedicated Clinical Negligence team or your Case Handler directly with your letter of instruction and documentation. Your instructions will be acknowledged and the expert instructed within 24 hours of receipt.
If you haven’t instructed us before, no problem! Get in touch with one of our dedicated Account Managers who will explain the entire process to you.
How much does the service cost?
The cost of a screening report is £200+VAT*
How long will the report take?
You will receive a quality checked screening report within 14 days from instruction of the expert.
* Screening report cost is based on a review of 250 pages of documents.
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