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Updated on 9th April 2026. If you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be wondering how to prove it. If you’re asking yourself, ‘Do I need a medical assessment to claim compensation?’, then the answer is generally, yes. Don’t worry, we can answer any of the big FAQs.
Generally, to make a successful personal injury claim, you’ll need to undergo a medical assessment. This is to help evidence your suffering. The findings included in the resulting medical report can go a long way to helping you get the compensation that you deserve, which can be calculated once the severity of your suffering is confirmed.
In this guide, we’ll explore the importance of medical assessments in personal injury claims. We will discuss what you can expect from attending an assessment. If you’d like to discuss your case to see whether you could have a valid claim, please speak to our team of advisors today:
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Select A Section
- What Is A Medical Assessment?
- What Is A Medical Report?
- Why Are Medical Assessments Important?
- Do I Have To Get A Medical Assessment?
- Who Will Carry Out My Medical Assessment?
- What Happens At My Medical Appointment?
- What Will Happen After My Medical Examination?
- Will The Independent Expert And Solicitor Need To See My Medical Records?
- How Do I Start A Personal Injury Claim?
- How Is Compensation Calculated After The Medical Assessment
- How Our Expert Solicitors At Advice Can Help Your Claim
- Can I Claim With Advice On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Contact Us
- Supporting Guides
- Medical Assessment FAQs
What Is A Medical Assessment?
If you’re unfamiliar with medical assessments, they are simply a means of identifying how you’ve been impacted because of your injury. By undergoing a medical assessment, an independent medical professional, such as a doctor, can evaluate your overall health.
Once this is done, they can paint a picture of your overall health within a medical report. This will summarise how you’ve been impacted by your injury. This evaluation will cover everything from any injuries that you sustained to how your quality of life has been affected. What’s more, any potential future issues that could arise over time or in later life will be included.
What Is A Medical Report?
A medical report is a document that summarises the findings of your medical assessment. For the purposes of making a personal injury claim, your medical report will focus on the areas of your health that have been impacted. It could also highlight any potential for future issues.
The report must be produced by a certified health practitioner, a GP, or a specialist in that field. As is the case with all of your medical records, you are entitled to see a copy of your medical report at any time.
Why Are Medical Assessments Important?
You may be asking yourself ‘do I need a medical assessment to claim compensation?’. If you’ve been involved in an accident, you should get checked out by a medical professional as soon as possible. This way, you can receive any treatment you may require and give yourself the best chance of recovery. What’s more, a medical professional can identify any areas that may be of future concern, giving you an idea of what to anticipate and how best to proceed.
It’s also wise to see a doctor in order to have your accident and any subsequent injuries logged in your medical records. This way, they can be relied upon to help evidence your suffering.
It is important to note the difference between seeking medical advice or attention after an accident and attending a medical assessment for your personal injury claim. If you are injured after an accident, going to see your GP or local A and E is always recommended so that you can get the treatment you need. When making a personal injury claim, as the claim progresses, you will attend a medical assessment.
If you undergo a medical assessment for evidencing your personal injury claim, the findings included in the resulting medical report will be used in your claim. This is due to the fact that your payout can only be calculated once the severity of your suffering is confirmed.
Do I Have To Get A Medical Assessment?
If you are making a personal injury claim, in most cases you will need to have a medical assessment, whether you have seen a doctor about your injury before or not. Seeking medical attention after the accident is different to attending a medical assessment for your personal injury claim.
Also, the medical assessment may not happen for a while after your accident, so you must not assume that because you are making a personal injury claim, you do not need your injuries checked out after an accident. Any delay in treating an injury can mean the condition can worsen and deteriorate. Furthermore, it is important to seek medical advice straight after an accident, not only because this will allow your injury to receive the treatment it needs, but also to log your injury in your actual medical notes.
Preparing For A Medical Assessment
As you’ll be asked a series of questions about your accident and how you were impacted by it, you may wish to have the following points fresh in your mind:
- What happened to me in the accident?
- How has the accident made me feel?
- Have I been hurt by the accident?
- Has my suffering improved or worsened over time?
- Do I have any pre-existing conditions?
- How has my overall quality of life been impacted?
- Have I experienced any unexplained symptoms that could be a result of the accident?
Ultimately, you don’t need to worry too much about preparing for your medical assessment.
Who Will Carry Out My Medical Assessment?
As mentioned above, only an independent certified health practitioner, GP, or specialist in that field is able to carry out your medical assessment and write the resulting report. This means that they have an overriding duty to the court rather than being tied to any one party in particular. In other words, this attempts to preclude any biased interpretations that could lean either for or against your claim.
If you choose to work with our personal injury lawyers, they can organise your medical assessment for you. Any appointment will be as close to you as possible.
What Happens At My Medical Appointment?
In a typical medical assessment, a medical professional will attempt to establish an overall picture of your general health. There will be a particular focus on how you’ve been affected by your injury.
To achieve this, they’ll usually ask you a series of questions about your accident and any injuries. This could include any pre-existing conditions you believe were worsened by your accident, as well as any new injuries you sustained.
As part of your assessment, it’s important to be honest about how your quality of life has been affected. For example, have you been forced to give up any hobbies or activities you usually do? Similarly, have you had to take any time off work to recover?
Depending on the area of the body injured, they may ask you to perform a series of simple and low-impact movements to gauge the extent of the damage. These will be non-invasive and as pain-free as possible. They simply provide the medical expert with the information needed to generate an honest and comprehensive account of your injuries.
What Will Happen After My Medical Examination?
After the independent expert has assessed you and recorded their findings, your medical report will usually be ready a few weeks after your appointment. Once you’ve consented to your lawyer being able to access your report for the purposes of building your case, they may be able to value your injury. If you have decided not to use a solicitor, the report will be sent to you.
Your medical report will be used to evidence any general damages you suffered. Next, you can focus on the second head of damage that you could build your final settlement amount, special damages.
Will The Independent Expert And Solicitor Need To See My Medical Records?
In order for your solicitor to be able to evidence your claim, they’ll need to access your medical report. This isn’t a cause for concern, as they are legally obliged to keep any information that they handle in your case confidential. However, if you decide that you do not want these parties to access your medical records, you can refuse. This may make claiming difficult.
You have an option of writing to the court to ask that details of your medical history be left out when your medical records are being passed over to your solicitor and any third parties.
How Do I Start A Personal Injury Claim?
How to start a personal injury claim? There are a few steps you can take to begin. Firstly, you can use the following checklist to gauge whether you could have grounds to claim. If each statement is reflected in your case, you should be able to establish that you suffered because of third-party negligence, which is a crucial part of a personal injury claim:
- The third party in question owed you a legal duty of care
- Which they breached
- And you suffered an injury or illness as a result
By getting in touch with our team today, they can confirm whether they believe you could have grounds to claim after just a few simple questions. This consultation is free of charge. If you have a valid case for compensation, they’ll offer to connect you to our personal injury solicitors. If a solicitor takes on your case, it will be on No Win No Fee terms.
If you choose to work with a solicitor, they can organise your medical assessment. Usually, your medical assessment will be as close to your home as possible.
What’s more, our personal injury solicitors work to a No Win No Fee structure, so you’re able to access their services regardless of your financial standing. To learn more about these types of agreements, please see the next section.
How Is Compensation Calculated After The Medical Assessment
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can be used as a personal injury compensation calculator to assist solicitors. Specifically, the JCG is a comprehensive list of injuries, severities and compensation brackets. Consequently, it can serve as a guide for legal professionals in determining a compensation offer after a medical report for their clients.
Your compensation will be made up of two heads of claim: general and special damages. (We discuss the latter in great detail in the next section of this guide.) When it comes to general damages, your personal injury solicitor will consider the following influential factors:
- The severity of the harm you suffered
- Whether it’s impacted your quality of life
- Whether you have suffered psychological damage
- Whether you have undergone invasive treatment
- Whether you have sustained deformity or disfigurement
- Whether you will encounter any pain and suffering in the future
To give you a clearer picture of what personal injury compensation can look like, we’ve included a table below with carefully selected compensation brackets from the JCG. This should give you an idea of how your own compensation might be calculated if you are eligible.
We kindly ask you to use the contents of this table as a guide only and to bear in mind that the first row has not been sourced from the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | How much? |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries With Special Damages | Multiple Serious Injuries | Up to £1 Million+ |
| Brain Or Head Injury | Very Severe - Little/No Response To Environment | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain Or Head Injury | Moderate (i) - Moderate To Severe Intellectual Deficit | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Neck | Severe (i) - Incomplete Paraplegia | In the region of £181,020 |
| Neck | Severe (ii) - Serious Fractures | £80,240 to £159,770 |
| Leg | Very serious - Permanent Mobility Problems | £66,920 to £109,290 |
| Leg | Severe (iii) Serious - Compound/Comminuted Fractures | £47,840 to £66,920 |
| Wrist | a) - Loss Of Function | £58,710 to £73,050 |
| Elbow | A Severely Disabling Injury | £47,810 to £66,920 |
| Elbow | Less severe -Impairment Of Function | £19,100 to £39,070 |
| Hand | Loss of Thumb | £43,350 to £66,920 |
| Hand | Moderate Injuries To Thumb | £11,800 to £15,370 |
| Arm | Less severe - Past Significant Disabilities | £23,430 to £47,810 |
| Arm | Simple Fractures of the Forearm | £8,060 to £23,430 |
| Back | Moderate (i) - Residual Disability | £33,880 to £47,320 |
| Back | Moderate (ii) - Frequent Back Injuries | £15,260 to £33,880 |
| Shoulder | Serious - Shoulder Dislocation | £15,580 to £23,430 |
| Shoulder | Moderate - Limitation Of Movement | £9,630 to £15,580 |
| Pelvis | Lesser injuries - Significant Injury With Little Disability | £4,820 to £15,370 |
| Whiplash Injuries Plus One Or More Psychological Injuries | More than 18 months, but not more than 24 months | £4,975 |
| Whiplash Injuries | More than 18 months, but not more than 24 months | £4,830 |
Special Damages You Could Claim
In addition to general damages, you could also be compensated for special damages in your personal injury claim. Special damages can be claimed to cover any out-of-pocket costs or financial losses you may have incurred due to your injury.
After sustaining an injury or suffering from a bout of ill-health, numerous financial problems can arise as a result. Some examples of these that you may be able to recover by claiming special damages include:
- Medical expenses
- Loss of earnings, including future loss of earnings
- Travel costs, such as to and from hospital appointments
- Adaptations to your home
- Domestic help, such as hiring a cleaner
- Care costs, whether professional or gracious (from loved ones)
It’s important to note that in order to be able to recover any of these costs, you must be able to evidence them. This can be done by retaining receipts, bank statements and the like.
If you’re interested in seeing what losses you could be able to recover as special damages, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today. Our advisors can offer a free consultation. In addition to giving you an idea of how much you could claim, one of our solicitors can help you track any ongoing payments and even ensure you’re including any losses that you may have missed. The more detail you give, the more you could be able to include in your claim when calculating a settlement estimate.
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How Our Expert Solicitors At Advice Can Help Your Claim
Our expert solicitors at Advice are dedicated to achieving success for your claim and will take a thorough approach to fortify your case. This involves not only providing you with a wide range of legal services but also taking the time to understand how we can best support your recovery and wellbeing. We will:
- Put you in contact with a trusted, independent medical expert who will examine the harm you have suffered and prepare a complete report that can be used as evidence for your claim.
- Provide jargon-free guidance and be fully transparent about our processes so you can have peace of mind throughout the claim.
- Thoroughly document the extent of your pain and suffering, not just by arranging an independent medical examination, but also by securing witness statements and copies of your GP records on your behalf.
- Fight for you to walk away with the highest possible compensation for your specific case using our powerful litigators, who will represent you during negotiations.
- Reduce potential weak points in your claim by only involving independent medical experts with direct clinical experience in the trauma you have suffered.
Here at Advice, our priority is to practice ethically and to always go the extra mile for our clients. Whether you are wondering, ‘Do I need a medical assessment to claim compensation?’ or if this is the kind of support you’re looking for, call us today.
Can I Claim With Advice On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Yes, you can claim with Advice on a No Win No Fee basis through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
This essentially means that:
- If the claim fails, you pay nothing at all towards solicitor service fees
- You, as a claimant or litigation friend, pay nothing up front for solicitor service fees
- You pay nothing towards solicitor service fees throughout the entire duration of the claims process
If the claim wins, a small success fee will be deducted from your compensation. However, this success fee is a percentage that’s legally-capped at 25%, as per the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. This means you will still receive the majority of the compensation, no matter what.
Our solicitors are intrinsically aware of the high stakes involved in navigating a claim. This is not something you should face alone, especially whilst recovering from an injury. Allow us to fight your corner by reaching out today.
Contact Us
Whether you’re wondering ‘do I need a medical assessment to claim compensation?’ or you have any other questions, please get in touch for a free consultation today. If you’d like to discuss your case and see whether you could have a valid claim, you can speak to our team of specialist advisors today. Get in touch using the following contact options:
- Call our team on 0161 509 2856
- Chat about what happened using the pop-up on your screen
- Complete a contact form on our website
Supporting Guides
In addition to the links throughout this article, here are some further resources:
- Information on using NHS services
- Advice on paying for your own self-funded care
Medical Assessment FAQs
Below, you will find several questions commonly asked about medical assessments.
Can You Claim For Whiplash Without Seeing A Doctor?
Since the Whiplash Reform, those who are in a road traffic accident as a driver or passenger must undergo a medical assessment if making a personal injury claim.
How Long After A Medical Do You Get Compensation?
Every case is different. So the time it takes for you to secure compensation may vary from that of the next claimant.
Thank you for reading our guide, addressing ‘Do I need a medical assessment to claim compensation?’
