24 May 2005

Doctors.net.uk, the largest online network with over 114,000 UK doctors (or over 70% of all UK clinicians) as registered users, has teamed up with Capita Health Solutions (CHS) to provide doctors with an exclusive opportunity to register as medical legal experts for a new medical evidence service.

From May 2005, Capita Health Solutions will offer Doctors.net.uk members the opportunity to work in the medico-legal field, with the support of the Doctors.net.uk network and the financial guarantees associated with a FTSE 100 company.

Medico-legal reporting involves engaging doctors to provide reports on individuals who have been injured by an accident, which could range from road incidents, industrial accidents or ‘slip and trip’ accidents in the community. Medico-legal reports are provided by either GPs or consultants in a particular field of expertise to assess the injuries sustained by the injured party. These reports provide a time-specific prognosis on how long the injuries sustained will take to resolve, and thus help insurance companies ascertain levels of compensation.

The doctors involved will deal directly with Capita Health Solutions for the medico-legal work, but will remain part of the Doctors.net.uk medico-legal community and benefit from the trust and support that it offers.

Doctors.net.uk will also supply free online training to guide doctors through the steps of becoming a medico-legal expert. The support of other doctors is also available through a dedicated discussion forum where doctors can share advice and compare experiences with colleagues across the UK.

Doctors.net.uk resources to help doctors complete medico-legal work will include:

• Standard document templates e.g. standard letters for requesting medical records
• Free online education
• Medico-legal forum
• Links to other online resources

Capita Health Solutions is one of the UK's leading corporate healthcare providers with more than 25 years' experience in occupational health provision. It covers over one million employees and services 100,000 medical referrals per annum.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Capita Group Plc, a consistently high performing FTSE 100 UK company, Capita Health Solutions’ own medical evidence service will operate on a similar basis to other existing medico-legal organisations but with the financial stability that the backing and commitment of a major FTSE 100 company can provide.

Capita Health Solutions will offer doctors a unique guarantee of payment for their services and by the end of 2005 will be seeking to settle doctors’ accounts within 60 days of the invoice being raised.

Erik Jan Scholten, Commercial Manager for Doctors.net.uk, explains, "We are delighted with the opportunity to partner with a company of the stature of Capita. The stability of the Capita business plan in the medico-legal field looks set to provide an exciting opportunity for both Doctors.net.uk and its members."