UK Medico-Legal and Insurance Services: A market worth over £700 million

The UK Medico-Legal and Insurance Market (MLIS) is valued at over £700 million in terms of revenue and grew in 2017 by 6%, compared with 13% in 2016. While the market continues to expand, it is being put under more pressure by official moves to cut the number of low value personal injury cases, which has, for example, resulted in a cut in the value of Medco reports sales in 2017 compared with 2016.

The UK Medico-Legal and Insurance Market Briefing is the second edition of an annual IRN Legal Market Briefing from IRN Research and provides an overview of the market for medico-legal and insurance service. This market offers two main types of services to legal services providers, insurers and employers: Medical expertise (ME), i.e. medical expert witnesses and medico-legal report writing; and Rehabilitation and allied medical services (RAMS), i.e. medical services to rehabilitate and help an injured or ill individual.

The range of players in the MLIS market is large, ranging from thousands of individual medical practitioners up to companies which are part of national and international claims management, claims processing and legal services companies. While some companies in the market operate across both segments, others specialise fully or mainly in just one segment. The companies operating in the market include those that are fully independent, those owned by insurance companies, those owned by legal services companies and captives (of insurers or legal firms).

The report discusses the key drivers of the market from medical, economic and legal perspectives and profiles a number of key companies active in the industry. It also outlines how legal and other changes will shape the market in the future.

The briefing (79pp, PDF), is available directly from IRN Research, priced at £190/€213/US$264. UK sterling price is plus VAT so total price is £228.

The UK Medico-Legal and Insurance Market Briefing is one of a series of briefings produced each year, with others covering UK Family Law, Conveyancing, Personal Injury, Wills & Probate and Commercial Law.

IRN Research
INTELLIGENCE, RESEARCH, INSIGHT

Established in 1991, IRN Research is a market research consultancy with a particular focus on the legal services market. We offer a range of bespoke research services, on an ad-hoc and continuous basis, to law firms and suppliers to the sector. These services include client satisfaction surveys, market studies and competitor intelligence, client industry reports, and strategic studies.

IRN Research, 60 Eastern Green Road, Coventry, CV5 7LH, United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0)7905 239599. Email: ggiddings@irn-research.com URL: www.irn-research.com

CONTENTS

6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6 Market Structure
6 A market worth over £700 million
7 A future which will be adversely impact by legislation

9 INTRODUCTION

9 Definition
9 Medical Evidence (ME)
9 Rehabilitation and allied medical services (RAMS)
11 The target market
12 Abbreviations

13 MARKET STRUCTURE

13 Three principal players
14 New method of claims reporting and medical evidence gathering

16 MEDICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AND DRIVERS

16 Physical and psychological rehab are worth paying for
16  Physical and psychological RAMS services improve medical outcomes
17 The Rehabilitation Code
19 Some case managers feel law firms and claimant families do not always act in their client’s interests
19 Whiplash Fraud, a focus of policy
20 NHS a provider and competitor to RAMS providers
22 Today’s labour market: a positive and negative driver of demand
22 The number of people suffering from RTA injuries declines
23 And the number of workplace injuries is also falling

27 LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS AND DRIVERS

27 Civil Cases drive the demand for medical expert witnesses
27 The good, the bad and ugly of medical expert reporting
29 The Jackson Report defines the new legal framework for PI and 29 clinical negligence cases
31 Jackson reforms, Mark II
32 Government moves to limit the number of PI claims
34 More litigants in person could cut expert witness work
35 E-working in the civil courts: Expert witnesses are broadly positive
36 Being an expert witness is not getting any easier
37 But hot tubbing will not be the new default procedure for giving evidence

39 THE KEY PLAYERS 

39 AIG Medical Management Services
39 AMG Consultancy Services ltd
41 Bodycare Clinics Ltd/ Doctors Chambers (UK) Ltd
42 Broadspire Rehabilitation
43 Bush & Company Rehabilitation
45 Exam Works/Premex
47 FL360 companies (Corporé -TTN, Speed Medical Examination Services)
49 Health & Case Management Ltd (HCML)
51 IPRS Group
52 The Integrated Care Clinics Ltd (TICCS)
53 Injury-QED Ltd (I-QED)
54 MAPS Medical Reporting, formally Medical and Professional Services Ltd
55 On Medical Ltd
56 Premier Medical (formally Capita Medical Ltd)
57 RehabWorks Ltd
58 Slater & Gordon Solutions
60 Other providers

66 MARKET SIZE AND TRENDS

66 A £700 million+ market
66 The addressable market for MLIS continued to declines

68 But only 80,000 individuals in RTAs likely to be the core market for RAMs and medico-legal reports
68 Almost 600,000 involved in RTAs may need Medco-reports
69 Medco reports generate almost £90 million in revenue in 2017
70 The nature of expert witnesses work changes
71 Because few personal injury or clinical negligence claims ever get to trial

73 THE FUTURE

73 Government reforms will dent the market
75 With hidden dangers potentially surfacing
75 Expert witnesses will need to embrace technology
75 Continued new opportunities in the occupational health sector

77 ASSOCIATIONS