Date confirmed for 2018 clinical negligence Claims Media conference

Next year’s clinical negligence Claims Media conference will take place on 28 February 2018 in Manchester at the Midland Hotel.

The conference will once again see some of the country’s top clinical negligence lawyers gather to discuss the pressing issues that affect their practices and business planning.

This year’s event allowed delegates to hear about and debate Government policy, various commercial pressures, and the growing field of ADR.

Bill Braithwaite QC from Exchange Chambers (pictured) chaired the conference. He was joined on stage by a number of distinguished speakers, including Nigel Poole QC from Kings Chambers, Frank Patterson from Irwin Mitchell, Amanda Stevens from Hudgell Solicitors, Ian Cohen from Slater and Gordon, Michael Redfern QC from St Johns Buildings, Tim Wallis (in his role as Chair of Trust Mediation) and Andrew Axon from Parklane Plowden.

In a keynote address, Nigel Poole QC warned the audience to keep one eye on the developments in the area of low value soft tissue injury claims. He suggested that the reforms to motor accident whiplash injury claims were a sign of the Government’s attitude to claims in general.

Clinical negligence is an area of law that is currently high on the list of priorities for the Conservative party, which looks set to win the General Election on 8 June.

At present a consultation – which is awaiting the attention of the next administration – has greatly split opinion among the claimant and defendant camps. The consultation is looking at imposing a new fixed cap on all clinical negligence cases that are worth up to £25,000.

Mark Dugdale