https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/instructing-a-medical-or-health-professional/
https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/instructing-a-medical-or-health-professional/
After approval is granted for you to instruct a medical or health professional there are steps you can take to help the assessment of accounts at the end of the case.
You can view further general information to assist you in our guidance section on preventing problems at the accounts stage.
There are basic details that medical professionals should be able to give you about their registration with appropriate regulatory bodies and recognition of particular specialisms they have:
Asking for these details will allow you to check that the professional is appropriately registered and qualified to give the type of report you are seeking. Appropriate registration numbers are often included within quotes and invoices.
We will not pay for the report if the medical or health care professional is not appropriately registered, unless you are able to satisfy us that the expert was still a suitable choice for the case.
Our policy is that we will expect to see evidence that they are a ‘consultant’ if you are instructing a medical professional for anything other than factual information about their patient. For example that they hold “specialist registration” with the GMC in the field for which their opinion is sought.
We are aware that they can provide medico–legal reports as part of their training. However you should be clear that these should always be provided under the supervision of a consultant. It is our policy that we will not pay the same rate for a report provided by such a trainee.
It is our policy that these individuals are not qualified and we will not pay for reports carried out by them.
Research by other bodies suggests that the quality of reports is better from medical professionals who are engaged in practice. This is not solely limited to the provision of court reports. Professionals who have been out of practice for some time may be out of touch with current research/practices.
It would be beneficial to be clear about the extent of their ongoing work if you are instructing a professional where this may be an issue. For example give details about the extent to which psychologists/psychiatrists providing court reports have continued involvement with relevant health bodies or are able to demonstrate continued practice within the areas that they are assessing (for example, treatment provision).
After a grant, and prior approval needed
This page includes information on arrangements for the employment of counsel under civil legal aid. It includes information on: the tests applied in our assessment of requests for counsel (whether case-related, or linked to your circumstances); timing of requests; limited use of counsel for opinions etc.; and retrospective grants for the employment of counsel.
After a grant, and prior approval needed
This page includes information on the employment of expert witnesses in civil legal aid. The guidance includes information on when prior approval is required; the application procedure (including use of templates); how to distinguish an expert witness and the status of certain common types of witnesses; timing of applications; how we will assess experts’ costs; and cost limit information.