New research shows that the personal injury compensation culture in the UK is wasting doctor’s time.
A study conducted by LV= showed that 90% of the doctors surveyed said patients had lied to them in order to attempt to obtain personal injury compensation. Six out of 10 respondents said that over the last two years they had seen an increase in the amount of patients exaggerating the extent of their injuries in a bid to claim recompense. And 79% of doctors said they had seen someone who in their opinion was completely healthy but had invented an injury in the hope of lodging a successful personal injury claim.
39% of doctors also said they have refused to sign a form or write a letter relating to a personal injury claim.
LV= says that the NHS spends £8 million every year dealing with personal injury claims because personal injury solicitors require claimants to have the backing of a doctor before they will lodge a claim.
It seems unbelievable the lengths some people will go to in a bid to claim compensation. Doctors are already under a lot of pressure and public sector spending cuts are only going to make the situation worse. If medical professionals are having to waste time seeing liars and cheats, they are not able to spend time doing what they’re meant to do which is curing genuinely sick people.
Of course there are genuine claimants who have suffered a personal injury at work or been the victim of medical negligence but do we run the risk that they will be ignored because doctors think all claimants are “trying it on”?