Medico-Legal Cases

A Medico-legal case involves instruction from a solicitor to an expert witness in order to assist in a medical negligence claim. If an individual has a level of impairment that is impacting greater on their life compared to before the surgery or incident took place, they may be entitled to further therapy to improve this loss of function.

London OT have a medico-legal expert practitioner who can provide both plaintiff and defence instructed reports. Our Occupational Therapists can act as medical experts for those filing a Medico-Legal case, and offer skilled advice on the following:

• Causation of injury
• The impact on occupations within the home, work or educational environments
• Current and future treatment plans
• Comparison of current level of function to level of function prior to injury

Benefits of using London OT for a Medico-Legal case include the following:

Introduction to benefits

• Detailed breakdown of therapy costs
• Experienced OT's in acting as expert witnesses
• Home, in work and clinic assessments available
• Written quotations
• Flexible appointment times, including evenings and weekends
• Clearly set out and easy to understand reports
• Fast and reliable service

Our team of Occupational Therapists here at London OT are highly experienced in dealing with Medico-Legal cases. Our assessments are in-depth and comprehensive and are professionally built to understand why an individual is having difficulty. These assessments are completed when instructed to do so and provide supporting evidence to assist an individual's legal team. Working within the private sector has given our Occupational Therapists a deep understanding of the systems and requirements necessary to provide effective Medico-Legal reports.

How to instruct London OT for a Medico-Legal Assessment and Report

London OT require written or emailed instructions. These instructions must be in line with the Practice Direction Part 35 containing the following:

• Capacity of appointment - single, joint expert witness
• Services required
• Outline of the key objectives of the report
• Deadline for report delivery
• Necessary correspondence- medical records
• Up to date expert records
• Witness statements
• Outline of claim and defence
• Court orders
• Schedule of loss
• Background information
• Information on parties responsible for payment

Please send all enquiries to office@londonot.co.uk

Medico-Legal Reports

Our experienced Occupational Therapists at London OT can provide comprehensive, detailed medico-legal reports in relation to care, rehabilitation and therapy needs. Medico-legal can also cover special equipment, housing and environmental needs in relation to medical negligence and personal injury litigation.

Our detailed Medico-Legal report consist of the following:

• Level of impairment and how this impacts on day to day living
• Further therapy needs
• Cost details
• Recommendations for aids and adaptations

London OT provide detailed information on costs including the total cost for any recommended equipment, level and frequency of therapy input needed and any additional time required for meetings. This would be clearly laid out and summarised in the report following an assessment.

Medico Legal Assessments

The complexity of Medico-Legal cases varies greatly. Our Occupational Therapists have the skills and knowledge required to assess and treat individuals who have difficulties regarding:

• Cognitive abilities
• Mental health abilities
• Physical abilities

Cognitive abilities
As a result of a cognitiveimpairment such as concentration or memory loss, the individual may require further therapy. For example an individual with concentration difficulties can often present very disorganised and forgetful. Our Occupational Therapists are skilled professional and can provided effective therapy to improve their abilities to concentrate and function more independently.

Mental health abilities
Traumatic events in both child and adult hood can lead to individuals developing a mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety. Our Occupational Therapists have the skills required to actively assess and treat those with mental health disorders and determined the effects on everyday living and aim at improving their quality of life overall.

Physical abilities
Acquiring a physical impairment due to medical negligence can be extremely disabling and impact greatly on an individual's daily living. Our Occupational Therapists can assess individuals in great detail and clarify to what extent the impairment has had on their abilities to function. From here our Occupational Therapists will devise an individualised treatment plan and aim at improving their abilities to complete daily activities.

Summary

Our Occupational Therapy reports and outputs from assessment are highly recommended when seeking legal expert advice. Our Occupational Therapists cut no corners in ensuring the difficulties an individual is facing are professional documented and their on-going care needs are appropriately met.

To obtain a written quotation of costs, please call us on 02033 937 332 or email us at office@londonot.co.uk.