Rehabilitation trade body among those to welcome consultation

A trade body representing rehabilitation companies is among the organisations to welcome a consultation from the Government on whiplash claims.

The Ministry of Justice announced earlier this month it would be consulting on new measures to bring down the number and cost of whiplash claims.

Whiplash is a major cause of musculoskeletal complaints and employee absence, and is estimated to cost the UK economy about £3.1bn a year in treatment costs and absence. There were more than half a million whiplash claims in the UK last year.

Organisations such as the British Insurance Brokers’ Association have so far welcomed the consultation, and the British Association of Rehabilitation Companies (Barc) has now thrown its weight behind the initiative.

Dave Bingham, chairman of Barc, said the trade body is making engaging with the consultation a priority and plans to secure a stakeholder meeting with the MoJ on the subject.

He said: “Whilst referral fees are probably the biggest issue of all, there are still others to deal with.

“Rehabilitation plays a key role in providing a constructive outcome for those people needing treatment as a result of road traffic accidents and ultimately the reduction of motor insurance premiums.”

Barc will be discussing the whiplash consultation at its next meeting in January, where speakers will include Dame Carol Black, co-author of last year’s Sickness Absence Review.