EWJ June 2024 web - Journal - Page 22
failing to adequately interface and integrate with other
systems. We are also concerned to hear about the
problems some professional users face when having
to copy information between systems, leading to inefficiencies and potential delays in claims being settled
and injured people receiving their compensation.
(Paragraph 32)
claims lifecycle, and that some will take longer to reach
a resolution than others, we recommend the MoJ
investigates further the reasons for the growing
number of unresolved cases and the deterioration in
the timeliness of reaching settlement, and publishes
its findings by the end of the year. This should include
an analysis of all stages of the claims lifecycle, including those aspects which defendants are responsible for
progressing, those which claimants are responsible for
progressing, and those where improvements to the
OIC portal itself could raise performance. It should
also include an analysis of timeliness in comparison to
how equivalent cases previously progressed in the
MoJ’s Claims Portal, and of the apparent disparity in
settlement times between represented and unrepresented claims. (Paragraph 40)
We appreciate that it takes time for new systems to
‘bed in’ and we are encouraged that the MIB continues to request and collate feedback from both direct
and professional users of the OIC and that it is committed to finding resolutions to problems as they arise.
However, it is vital that any technological problems
which professional users of the OIC face that affect efficiency, accuracy or timeliness are resolved as a matter of urgency. In its response to this Report, the MoJ
should set out what steps it is taking in conjunction
with the MIB to address these concerns, and when it
expects them to be resolved. (Paragraph 33)
The cost of motor insurance
The Government estimated that the whiplash reform
programme would remove more than £1.2 billion
from the cost of providing motor insurance, and that
these savings would be passed on to policyholders
through lower premiums. However, whilst the total
number of minor personal injury claims has reduced
in the last two years, the cost of motor insurance has
continued to rise, with insurers citing cost of living
pressures, the effects of the pandemic, the war in
Ukraine and the increasing cost of care in relation to
high value and catastrophic claims. It is, therefore, difficult to determine the extent to which these upward
pressures have been offset by any savings arising from
the whiplash reform programme. (Paragraph 49)
Unresolved cases and timeliness
We are concerned by the growing number of unresolved cases in the OIC portal, which now stands at
349,000. For the minority of cases that have reached
a settlement to date, the average time taken to do so is
251 days and is predicted to increase further as more
complex cases, which have taken longer to reach conclusion, begin to settle. (Paragraph 39)
One of the objectives of the OIC portal was to simplify
and speed up the process of making a claim for
whiplash injuries. Whilst we acknowledge that the nature of the claims process is such that there will always
be a stock of cases in the portal at different stages in the
We note the requirement in the Civil Liability Act 2018
for HM Treasury to report to Parliament in the
GOOD NEURORADIOLOGY
Dr Catriona Good
MBChB, FFRad(D), FRCR, PhD, EDiNR
Dr Catriona Good is Consultant in Neuroradiology and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Dr Good is suitably qualified to provide expert opinions on all aspects of brain and spinal neuroimaging.
Including: all aspects of diagnostic brain and spine imaging, brain and spinal trauma, brain haemorrhage
and stroke, neurodegeneration including dementia, movement disorders, skull base, orbital and ENT imaging,
TMJ imaging and Peripheral nerve imaging.
Dr Good has been undertaking medicolegal work for the past 19 years and is a vetted expert for Academy of Experts,
Faculty of Experts and APIL (1st tier) She has also obtained the Cardiff University CUBS qualification.
Cases include personal injury, clinical negligence, criminal cases and GMC and Irish Medical Council
fitness to practice proceedings. She undertakes both Claimant and Defendant work, has civil court experience
including hot tubbing and has been instructed as a Single Joint expert. She undertakes adult cases only.
Dr Good has attended Coroner’s Court on four occasions and an Irish Medical Council hearing.
Medical Report turnaround time is usually 2 -3 weeks but she can provide reports in 5 working days in urgent situations.
Dr Good can also supply Screening Reports.
Email: goodcatriona@gmail.com
Web:www.goodneuroradiology.com
Area of work Nationwide
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
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JUNE 2024