WANDERERS SUITE - REEBOK STADIUM, BOLTON - 12th June 2008
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS - LONDON - 24th April 2008
9.00am
Registration and issue of Course materials
9.10am
Introduction, Aims and Objectives
9.20am
So – you want to be an 'Expert' Witness? Have you got what it takes?
9.50am
A Claim is Born …. but what happened?
- Initiation of the litigation?
- Condensed History of 'Whiplash'
- Mechanism of Injury- video presentation
- Common/less common symptoms
- Prognostic Indicators
10.30am
Coffee
10.45am
Cracking the Code – The Solicitor Standpoint
- The Protocol explained
- AMRO/Scheme agreements
- Key responsibilities under the Civil Procedure Rules
- Why a Solicitor instructs and what is expected
- Logical structure/correct language/treatment-v-recommendations
- The letter of instruction – what should it contain/discrepancies/varying injuries
- How to get the best from a medical – questioning techniques – how to get to the truth?
- The burden and standard of proof
- Giving a prognosis – all injuries/reasoning/timescales/justification of opinion
12.00pm
Questions
12.30pm
Lunch
1.15pm
Sharing Best Practice -The Appointment Experience
- Importance of a good initial assessment
- Dramatic 'staged' appointment
- Group discussions/workshops dealing with each heading of report
3.00pm
Coffee
3.15pm
Getting it right first time – Avoid those Pitfalls
- The Appointment – length of, timing and reasons
- Dealing with late attendances and accompanied claimants
- Level of examination required
- Wording of report to give polite hints
- Communication with the Claimant - what do you tell Claimant’s at the end?
- Contemporaneous notes – before or after? When and why?
- I’ve encountered a problem – who should I inform?
- I shouldn’t have seen this Claimant – my patient, not my clinical domain
- The appropriateness of re-examination – when to refer on – rehab/another expert?
- Dealing with multiple accidents
- Change of diagnosis
- Contrary Opinion
- Dealing with amendment requests
- References
- Juniors – special requirements
- NHS v The Court – treatment requirements
