A group of medical experts has claimed that Jack Straw MP’s comments made on 13 September in the House of Commons presented an unfair generalisation of the independent medical sector.

Dr Simon Margolis, CEO of Premex Group which manages a panel of 4,500 medical experts, said that the former Justice Secretary had failed to acknowledge how the modern delivery of expert medical evidence was carried out.

In his address Mr Straw claimed that whiplash diagnoses were delivered by third rate doctors, in the pay of claims management companies or personal injury lawyers.

Dr Margolis said that Premex Group’s panel of experts would appreciate the opportunity to challenge Mr Straw on this assertion. He invited Mr Straw to do so at the next Expert Seminar at the Royal College of Physicians on 30 November.

Unbiased, professional approach

He continued: “The ‘hired gun’ to which I believe Mr Straw refers has been largely eradicated by the Woolf reforms and medical reporting agencies such as ourselves have introduced an unbiased, professional approach to the delivery of medical evidence in the personal injury process.”

“Developing authoritative guidance on the diagnosis of an injury is not a straightforward task. There is no blood test or imaging modality currently in existence that can prove or disprove an injury was sustained or whether symptoms are being experienced.”

Dr Margolis concluded: “That is why a combination of the taking of a history and the laying on of hands during clinical examination by a medical expert remains the appropriate approach. Much can be learned from the general demeanour of the claimant and the way the history is delivered.”

Original Article 23rd Febrauary 2012: Insurance Age