New Rehabilitation Code is published

The IUA-ABI Rehabilitation Working Party has published a third version of the Rehabilitation Code.

The updated voluntary Code has been brought into line with notable legal developments and new ways of working with the NHS. It includes a separate section for lower-value claims, defined as claims with a value up to £25,000 or below, where the it recognises the need for a more streamlined process. In more serious cases, it encourages rehabilitation case managers to work proactively with treating NHS clinicians.

Along with the new Code, the working party has also published a guide for rehabilitation case managers and people who commission them.

“The Rehabilitation Code has created a sea change in personal injury claims and enabled hundreds of thousands of people to receive treatment they would otherwise have been denied, but it needed updating,” said working party chair Mark Baylis.

“This new version is a big improvement, whilst remaining true to the principles of the original Code that all parties should work together to help claimants recover as quickly and completely as possible from their injuries. The case managers’ guide fills a widely recognised gap, and has been warmly supported by those who have seen it.”

Amanda Stevens, chair of the Project Steering Group overseeing the Code review, said: “It is heartening that, in a decade that has seen wholesale change to the way in which injury claims are litigated,  rehabilitation has not only been retained as a centre-piece in the process, but has actually emerged with a stronger reputation and applicability. This latest Code will make rehabilitation delivery even more effective as it is better aligned with current working practices.”

The Code was originally published in 1999 to promote the use of rehabilitation when settling personal injury insurance claims.

Mark Dugdale