What To Expect At A Personal Injury Medical Appointment And From A Medical Report

By Lewis Houston. Last Updated 12th December 2024. Have you had an accident that wasn’t your fault and now looking to make a personal injury claim? Then you might already be aware that as part of a claim, you will need to visit a doctor so a medical report can be produced.        

Suppose you are wondering what to expect at a personal injury medical appointment or what to expect from a personal injury medical report. In that case, this guide should answer all your questions and give you some insight into the process of gathering medical evidence for your claim.      

You can find information about why you may need to see a personal injury medical doctor in the sections below. Even if you’ve already sought treatment for your injuries. We also answer questions such as:

  • What should I expect from a personal injury medical examination?
  • How much compensation could I receive after a medical exam?
  • How long after a medical will I get an offer?
  • What happens if I am not happy with the medical report I received?
  • Can I get a personal injury medical report sample?
  • Who pays for treatment from a physio after a car accident?

In addition to all this, we also provide details of the compensation you could receive for injuries and illnesses, as well as giving you information on how to find a lawyer to work on your case for you. If you have any questions or would like to talk to an expert advisor about your case, you can call our team on 0800 408 7825 at any time.

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What Is A Personal Injury Medical Examination?

Before we answer what to expect at a personal injury medical appointment, we should explore the concept of such appointments. While you might have sought medical advice/treatment from a professional, you may still need to attend a medical assessment. Medial assessments are used in personal injury cases to verify your injury. They also provide a view on prognosis. 

Successful personal injury claims rely on the strength of the evidence supplied. Having accurate medical evidence that verifies your injuries is essential. Medical evidence can show the effect injuries could have in the short-term and the long-term. And how they will affect your life, work and relationships. 

Why Are Injury Claim Medical Assessments Necessary?

Imagine you’ve broken a bone in a supermarket accident. Imagine that accident was due to negligence. You may want to claim against the liable party’s public liability insurance for your injuries. In order to get a clear picture of the injury, the consequences it will have on your life going forward and how you will cope with working –  it needs to be assessed by a medical expert. 

Medical assessments could also consider whether an injury could have exacerbated a previous condition, leading to a more significant impact on your mobility. This could also have an impact on the amount of compensation you could receive.

Find Out What Your Claim May Be Worth

You may be surprised to see that we haven’t chosen to include a personal injury claims calculator within this guide. One of the reasons we’ve decided not to include such a tool is that it could be misleading. It cannot take into account the specifics of your case. So, all the evidence (including medical evidence) would have to be reviewed to come to a compensation settlement. Therefore a calculator simply can’t do this.

To give you some level of insight into how much your compensation claim could be worth, we have opted instead to provide some figures from the Judicial College Guidelines. This is a publication that solicitors could use to value your injuries. The figures below have been taken from the most up-to-date version of the guidelines, published in April 2022. 

We’ve included some common injuries, but if you don’t see your injury, please call us. We could give you more information on other injuries over the phone.

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Injury Guideline Compensation Amount Notes
Pelvic/hip injuries (moderate i) £26,590 to £39,170 Significant pelvic/hip injuries. Risk of future harm wouldn’t be large and there wouldn’t be any permanent disabilities
Arm injury (less severe) £19,200 to £39,170 A substantial level of recovery could be possible or may have taken place, but the initial injury could have caused significant disabilities
Neck injuries (moderate ii) £13,740 to £24,990 Soft tissue and wrenching injuries, which could cause disc lesions. Discomfort, pain and stiffness could be caused, and could affect the claimant permanently. Injuries that exacerbate previous issues by 5 years + could also feature here.
Shoulder injuries (serious) £12,770 to £19,200 Damage to the lower brachial plexus or shoulder dislocation. This could cause a fractured humerus, restriction of the shoulder movement and sensory symptoms.
Back injuries (moderate ii) £12,510 to £27,760 Muscle or ligament disturbance and injuries to the soft tissues. Claimants may have found previous back conditions accelerated by 5+ years.
Fracture of the clavicle £5,150 to £12,240 This depends on your residual symptoms, the severity of your initial fracture, and your level of residual disability.

What Can A Compensation Offer After A Medical Report Include?

As discussed, if you need a medical report, a solicitor could organise a medical appointment for you. The results of this report could affect what you claim for.

In personal injury claims, a compensation offer after a medical report may include special damages. This head of your claim allows you to recover expenses incurred due to your injuries. It could include medical expenses, such as prescription costs. However, you will need to submit evidence, such as invoices or receipts.

If you are not happy with the medical report, call our advisors for free advice.

What Happens At A Personal Injury Medical Assessment?

To give you some insight into what to expect at a personal injury medical appointment, we should also look at what happens before your appointment. When you begin your claim you may be asked for permission to access your medical records. This is to see if you have existent injuries or illness. 

The expert would usually ask for your medical records to be released to them to look at them before seeing you. This way, they could get an idea of what they would like to ask you and what examinations may be necessary.

Before your personal injury medical assessment, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire. This may contain questions about the accident, your injuries and the impact they’ve had on you. It could also include a consent form so that the expert could access your medical records.

When you attend your appointment, you may be asked some questions about your injuries. Also, the expert may need to examine you. They may ask you to have other tests to confirm a diagnosis of an injury or illness, or so they can assess the severity of it.

When your personal injury medical appointment has been completed, a medical report is normally produced by the medical expert who examined you. If you have chosen to hire a solicitor to support you, this report is usually sent to them. You can learn more in a later section of this guide about what you can do if there is a concern which means that you are not happy with the medical report following an appointment.

How Much Of My Medical History Do You Need To Look At?

Now you know what to expect at a personal injury medical appointment, and that your records could be reviewed prior to seeing an expert, you may be nervous about all of your personal information being looked at by other parties. 

While it is entirely your choice as to whether to consent to your records’ release if you do not choose to approve, it could have a detrimental effect on your claim. It could affect the amount of compensation you could receive. It may make it more difficult for the expert to determine the extent and cause of your injuries. This could mean the liable party could argue about their veracity and severity too.

It is not always necessary for your complete medical records to be released. For example, in straightforward whiplash claims, it may not be required to look at more evidence than that related to the injuries you’ve sustained and the treatment you’ve received for them.

However, in complex cases, particularly those that may have exacerbated other injuries, it may be necessary for your full medical history to be taken into account.

Suppose you would like a particular part of your medical records to remain private, with good reason. You could request this. A judge could grant your request if you have a good reason for such information to remain undisclosed. Particularly if the parts you wish to be kept private do not have any bearing on your injuries.

What Information Does The Medical Report Include?

If you’re wondering what to expect from a personal injury medical report, this would largely depend on your injuries or illness. While for superficial injuries, the report may confirm that your injuries match your description of them and verify the likelihood of the accident has caused them, others may be much more complex.  

In general, a medical report could contain information relating to:

  • Whether the description you’ve given about the accident matches your injuries.
  • The nature and severity of the injuries sustained.
  • How long you might suffer from the injuries.
  • What impact the injuries have had on you.
  • If there is a need to assess other medical records.
  • Does the expert have any recommendations for rehabilitation services?
  • Is it recommended that you see a different specialist.
  • Financial expenses your injuries have caused you.
  • What they could cause you in the future.
  • The care and assistance you’ve received.
  • Care and assistance you might need in the future.
  • Are there any psychological effects of your injuries that may need to be assessed?

What Is The Medical Agreement Form?

Once you’ve had your medical appointment and the medical report has been produced, you will be asked to review it and sign a medical agreement form. This signifies you agree with the medical expert’s opinion. You should make sure to check the report very carefully to make sure it is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Once you have signed, the solicitor’s from both your side and the liable party’s side could use the details of the report to decide how much your claim could be worth.

Could I Dispute Any Errors In A Medical Report

Find any errors within the medical report, or you are not happy with the medical report for some reason, you should ensure you communicate this to your solicitor before you sign the medical agreement form. This way, your solicitors could write to the medical expert to challenge any details that are incorrect. 

How Long After A Medical Will I Get An Offer Of Compensation?

In simple cases, a compensation offer after the medical report could come quite quickly. However, it may be that the medical expert has said you need some rehabilitation treatment. This could be physiotherapy. Before you are given an offer the physiotherapy may need to be completed. It might be the case that you need further tests so that the severity of your injury could be assessed. You may need an operation. All of these things may delay a compensation offer. 

With all the points above in mind, it is not guaranteed that a compensation offer after a medical report will be made. In fact, an offer may not come at all if the report is unable to confirm the injuries you are claiming for or a link between the injuries and the accident that has led to your claim. However, you don’t need to panic if a compensation offer does not come straight after the medical report. If you have a solicitor supporting your claim, they should be able to advise you on what to expect during and after a medical exam.

Should I Accept The First Compensation Offer After A Medical Report?

We would recommend not accepting the first compensation offer after a medical report. That’s because a medical report only contributes to what compensation amount you could receive. Other resources will be considered by legal professionals when valuing your personal injury claim.

If you do accept the first offer, your settlement might be undervalued. Therefore, it may be useful to seek legal advice. A personal injury lawyer would use a medical report alongside other evidence to give you a more accurate representation of your final settlement offer. They would be working in your best interest.

Get in touch if you would like to connect with an expert No Win No Fee lawyer from our panel. They can also answer your questions about making a medical injury claim.

Do I Have To See A Doctor If I Have Already Had Medical Treatment?

While you might have sought treatment and advice from your own doctor, the evidence on your existing medical records would not usually be enough to accurately prove that your injuries resulted from the accident you’re claiming for.

Does A Compensation Offer Come After A Medical Report?

It’s important to note that, if you get a medical report after your solicitor arranged for you to attend an independent medical assessment as part of the claim, it doesn’t guarantee that your claim will be successful. The medical report is an unbiased assessment of your injuries by an independent medical professional. It can illustrate important aspects including the extent of your injuries, any permanent health consequences and the time it will take for you to recover.

It also assesses the likelihood that your injuries were caused by the accident in question. Medical evidence like this is vital when claiming. However, it isn’t the only factor to consider. There could be other pieces of evidence that could be crucial to proving whether negligence caused your injury.

We cannot guarantee that you’ll receive compensation from a claim after receiving a medical report. However, a specialist personal injury solicitor from our panel could use their expertise to help you with your claim. They can assist you in building your case; help you gather evidence and present your case in a professional and efficient manner.

They could also work your case on a No Win No Fee basis provided your claim is valid and has a chance of success. Please continue reading to learn the potential benefits of this. If you prefer, you can contact us for free legal advice using the above details.

No Win No Fee Claims For An Injury

Many claimants worry about the cost of a personal injury solicitor but with a No Win No Fee solicitor the financial risk may be reduced. There are no upfront fees to be paid with a No Win No Fee solicitor. If you chose to make a claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor, you wouldn’t be expected to pay legal fees throughout your claim either. And, you wouldn’t be asked to pay legal fees if your claim wasn’t successful, either.

Before you start a No Win No Fee claim, you’d need to sign a CFA (Conditional Fee Agreement). The success fee that would only be payable to your solicitor once a compensation settlement had been agreed would be included in the CFA. There is also a legal requirement for such fees to be capped. The success fee you’d pay would usually be a percentage of the compensation payout. 

For more information on No Win No Fee solicitors please call our advisors today. 

How To Contact A Lawyer

Hopefully, we’ve answered your questions about what to expect at a personal injury medical appointment. To begin a claim, or get advice based on your specific circumstances, why not get in touch with our knowledgeable advisors today?  We’re here to answer your questions and get you started on the path to compensation. You could get in touch:

Quick Links

Need To See A GP After An Accident? – This search page on the NHS website could help you find primary care services.

The General Medical Council’s Register– Check whether a doctor is registered here.

Reforms To Whiplash Claims– A consultation into whiplash claims with a view to reforming the claims process can be found here.

Public Injury Claims – General guidance on making public injury claims can be found here.

Where Do Accidents Happen – We have produced a guide on accident hotspots for personal injury claims here.

Council Accidents – Here, we have provided information on a range of accidents the council could be responsible for.

Other Guides You Can Check Out For Advice

If you still have any questions related to this guide, such as ‘how long after a medical will I get an offer?’, then you can get in touch with Public Interest Lawyers and speak to one of our advisors. You can reach them by using the contact details featured in this guide.