Find answers to some frequently asked questions. Simply click on a question to read more.
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You will only need to speak to one person from MRL, who will contact you to make all the necessary arrangements with the relevant medical expert, organise your appointment and notify your solicitor.
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To settle your claim earlier, please respond to any letters or phone calls you may receive from MRL promptly. You may need to fill out a pre-appointment questionnaire (PAQ) and a form of authority (FAO)
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You should have received a PAQ from MRL, however if you have mislaid or made a mistake on the questionnaire please download it from the link above. Your appointment may take some time so you should make a note of how you are feeling on a regular basis. Please take your completed questionnaire with you when you attend your medical examination and give it to the medical expert. Please do not return it to MRL.
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Your compensation claim cannot be completed without a report from a medical expert. To prepare your report the medical expert may need to review your GP and Hospital records. In order to release your medical records your consent is required via a Form of Authority or Consent Form. This form may be sent to you from ourselves or from your solicitor. If you have mislaid or made a mistake on the FOA that we have sent you and require another copy, please download from the link above, complete and return to us straight away. Failure to return your Form of Authority could cause a delay on your case.
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We will apply to your GP / Hospital(s) for your medical records and they will be sent to us by secure delivery. We then forward them securely to the expert who will perform your examination. The medical expert may need to review all of your medical records in order to establish whether you are suffering or have suffered from any pre-existing medical conditions or injuries which may have contributed to your current condition. If requested by your solicitor MRL will retain an archived copy of your records for the purposes of providing timely responses to queries from your solicitor or the nominated medical expert.
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MRL’s FOA signed by you, gives us authority to release your records to your solicitor or the approved medical expert. In addition, under Court rules the other party may see your health records. Your records will be retained for a maximum period of 18 months from the date of your completed medical report, after which they will be securely destroyed.
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The aim of the medical report is to provide an independent medical assessment to the court to support your claim for personal injury compensation (your case will most likely be settled on the basis of the medical report alone, before your case reaches court). The expert will have specialist knowledge of the type of injuries you have suffered and be experienced in providing medical evidence. The medical expert needs to be unbiased and unconnected with the person making the claim.
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One of the areas that the expert will be asked to give his or her opinion on is the long-term effect of your injuries. For this to be assessed properly, your solicitor may not obtain a medical report for up to six months (or longer) after your accident, so your recovery can be monitored and any lasting or permanent pain, disability or inability to work can be properly accounted for in the amount of compensation awarded. In order to get a clear understanding of the extent of your injuries, the expert preparing the medical report may have access to medical notes from your doctor and any other specialists that have treated you, such as an accident and emergency consultant in hospital. It will also help if you have kept a diary of your injuries and the progress of your recovery.
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To help the medical expert understand how you have been affected by your injuries you will be asked about the circumstances of your accident and the treatment you have received for your injuries; if you have had to take time off work and how your injuries have affected your day to day life; details of how you are recovering; if you have kept a pain diary (which you should take with you to show the expert); how you feel now and if you are still suffering any effects from your accident. The medical examination is for assessment only and no treatment will be given. The examination time varies by the type of consultant and the nature of your injuries and can take as little as 10-15 minutes or as long as an hour in some cases. The expert may have seen many cases just like yours and will therefore be able to make his assessment very quickly. Our medical expert may wish to give you a brief physical examination and depending on the nature of your injuries you may be asked to remove or loosen some of your clothing. You are very welcome to take a friend or relative along with you. It is an absolute requirement that you take with you some form of photographic identification like a driving license, passport or ID card if you have one.
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Your solicitor will forward you a copy of the report. You will have the opportunity to comment on the report and your solicitor may send these to the expert requesting that they be considered and answered by the expert.
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When you receive the appointment details, please call or e-mail us to confirm that you can attend the appointment. If you are unable to make the appointment please contact us immediately so that we can make an alternative arrangement Our medical expert will be seeing you privately and a charge will therefore be made for failing to attend without giving adequate notice or cancellation at short notice. If following your confirmation of attendance you are unable to attend please contact us immediately. If you cancel your appointment at short notice or fail to attend, you could be responsible for cancellation charges.
If your question has not been answered above please contact MRL by telephone or using the Contact us link above.
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