News & Media
Email for limitation extension requests under the Covid Protocol
In respect of claims where NHS Resolution is the indemnifying organisation and they have not yet been notified of the claim (such as when the Trust’s legal department is still managing the matter) from July 2022, the written notification of a limitation standstill, under the Covid-19 Clinical Negligence Protocol, should be sent to nhsr.limitationnotification@nhs.net
We understand that this is the correct email address for NHSR limitation purposes and any previous email addresses for emailing the NHSR in this context should be disregarded.
SCIL Roundtable 2023
Our SCIL Chair, Sharon Allison, attended a roundtable discussion to debate the impact of LASPO over 10 years after it came into force. Sharon advocates here from the claimant clinical negligence lawyer perspective about the importance of representing the whole demographic including those less able to access justice. It is essential that any proposed new legislation, such as that relating to FRC, is properly debated before it is considered by Parliament. Please watch this video to see more on the arguments from SCIL's perspective.
SCIL: Joint press release with AvMA & NHSR -- the impact of the Covid-19 Clinical Negligence Protocol
SCIL continues its collaboration with AvMA and NHSR. On 24 January 2023, we jointly issued a statement with AvMA and the NHSR on the progress and cost savings that appear to have been achieved as a result of the Covid-19 Clinical Negligence Protocol (“the Protocol”). Please click below for the full text. The Protocol was a document designed and drafted between SCIL, AvMA, and the NHSR. Since the implementation of the Protocol, figures published for 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 showed a 6% reduction in the volume of settled cases, which is significant and very positive. This suggests a trend against costly and stressful litigation for both parties.
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Paul Rumley, Chair of SCIL issued the following comment:
“I signed this agreement on behalf of the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL), following intensive negotiations with NHSR alongside AvMA, in August 2020 at the height of the pandemic. The figures from NHSR indicate that with a reduction of 572 litigated cases in the first year alone, at an average cost saving of £57,000 per case, this collaboration has helped to save approximately £32.6m in clinical negligence legal costs in one year – and of course, we have now had nearly 1.5 years of the Protocol in place, with nothing to indicate that the costs savings will have diminished over time.
This is not only good news for innocent injured patients, whose claims will have settled without the protracted stress of court proceedings, but is also good news for taxpayer NHS funds. It just goes to show that far from being the cause of increasing costs, specialist Claimant lawyers like those who make up the membership of SCIL, can in fact be part of cost-saving solutions if only the Government would seek and accept our specialist input – how much more could we achieve if we continue to work together without the threat of fixed costs for lower value clinical negligence claims (FRC), which will solve nothing and save no money (Government costs will likely increase as the NHS and the courts face a huge increase in litigants in person to deal with)?
I strongly urge the Government to look carefully at what we have helped to achieve, and the other possible solutions we are offering to them, including the ‘SCIL Scheme’ to streamline the claims process for lower-value clinical negligence claims without the adverse consequences of fixed costs, and ideas to fix the underlying issues of a lack of patient safety learning across the whole of the NHS which result in clinical negligence claims in the first place. I, and SCIL, remain ready to help with our specialist experience.
Paul Rumley, Chairman of SCIL.”
SCIL Exhibition and Conference Day 2022
Our video brings to life the highlights of the 2022 Exhibition and Conference Day on 19 May 2022, featuring some of our speakers, executive committee, exhibitors and delegates. It was a hugely successful day at our conference venue, the Birmingham Millennium Point, bringing together lawyers from all over the country. We enjoyed a mix of diverse eminent speakers from a multitude of backgrounds, as well as breakout sessions. We discussed current issues and met with a whole range of exhibitors.
SCIL Chair, Paul Rumley, speaking at the 2022 Exhibition & Conference Day
Paul Rumley discusses his concerns on the proposed Fixed Recoverable Costs regime for clinical negligence cases and why this should be resisted.
Sir Bob Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Committee at The SCIL 2022 Exhibition & Conference Day
Having Sir Bob Neill MP speak to our members was a privilege. Sir Bob is against what he believes is interfering with patients’ access to justice. Instead, he supports the prevention of medical accidents in the first place. He believes that patients representing themselves in person will clog up the court and increase expenses. He thinks this is the risk if the government “shoots the messenger” and reduces access to solicitors.
Other News
Our press team is here to help answer media enquiries and provide journalists with the information they require as quickly as possible.
SCIL members are professional experts in clinical negligence law. Members from SCIL are available for comment and interviews relating to clinical negligence, and specifically on the Government’s proposals on Fixed Recoverable Cost (FRC) for 'low value' clinical negligence claims.
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The press team is able to support the media in setting up interviews with members, providing comments, access to case studies, blogs and comment pieces, and more detailed insight when required. Please contact us on media@scil.org.uk with any media enquiries.