Whiplash claims have been hitting the headlines after the Government’s Transport Select Committee recommended that the car insurance industry raised the threshold for payments in neck injury cases.
The committee has produced a report that pointed the finger of blame for the surge in the number of whiplash claims in recent years at various different parties, including medical professionals in the UK.
While many have praised the committee’s report for seeking to tackle the issue of the surge in whiplash claims in recent years, the recommendations have not been universally welcomed.
Dr Simon Margolis, chief executive of Premex Group which manages a panel of 4500 medical experts, responded to the report by highlighting the problems doctors face in trying to accurately diagnose whiplash claims.
He told http://www.postonline.co.uk: "I believe our panel of experts would appreciate the opportunity to challenge suggestions which question their integrity. As Dr Rosemary Leonard clearly explained in her interview with BBC Breakfast yesterday morning, 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.
"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."
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