The Civil Procedure Rules 1998

[F1 Soft tissue injury and whiplash injury claims E+W

45.62.— (1) This rule applies—

(a) to a soft tissue injury claim; or

(b) a claim which consists of, or includes, a claim for a whiplash injury,

which arises from a road traffic accident.

(2) Where this rule applies, the only sums (exclusive of VAT) that are recoverable in respect of the cost of obtaining a fixed cost medical report or medical records are as follows—

(a) obtaining the first report from an accredited medical expert selected via the MedCo Portal: £180;

(b) obtaining a further report where justified from an expert from one of the following disciplines—

(i) Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon (inclusive of a review of medical records where applicable): £420;

(ii) Consultant in Accident and Emergency Medicine: £360;

(iii) General Practitioner registered with the General Medical Council: £180; or

(iv) Physiotherapist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council: £180;

(c) obtaining medical records: no more than £30 plus the direct cost from the holder of the records, and limited to £80 in total for each set of records required. Where relevant records are required from more than one holder of records, the fixed fee applies to each set of records required;

(d) addendum report on medical records (except by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon): £50; and

(e) answer to questions under Part 35: £80.

(3) Save in exceptional circumstances, no fee may be allowed for the cost of obtaining a report to which paragraph (1) applies where the medical expert—

(a) has provided treatment to the claimant;

(b) is associated with any person who has provided treatment; or

(c) proposes or recommends treatment that they or an associate then provide.

(4) The cost of obtaining a further report from an expert not listed in paragraph (2) is not fixed, but the use of that expert and the cost must be justified.

(5) In this rule, ‘accredited medical expert’, ‘associate’, ‘associated with’, ‘fixed cost medical report’ ‘MedCo’, ‘soft tissue injury claim’ and ‘whiplash injury’ have the same meaning as in paragraph 1.1(A1), (1A), (10A), (12A), and (16A) and (20), respectively, of the RTA Protocol.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 45 substituted (1.10.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/572), rule 1(1), Sch. 3 (with rule 2)