The UK network of specialist serious injury solicitors supporting people after life-changing injury
About us
Friendly legal expertise
We take care of the complex legal issues so the patient can focus on their rehabilitation
In the Spring of 2020, seeing a need to help those people discharged from hospital and left to look after themselves, experienced members of the UK’s leading serious injury solicitors formed The Major Trauma Group as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company.
Alongside clinicians and service companies, these legal experts have pooled their knowledge and experience to assist major trauma victims and their families through the provision of legal advice and ancillary services.
Common questions about the Major Trauma Group
(Click on the headings below to learn more)
What is major trauma?
Why have we created the Major Trauma Group?
What differentiates Major Trauma Group?
Does Major Trauma Group support the NHS?
What services does Major Trauma Group provide?
What is major trauma?
Major trauma is defined as one significant isolated injury or multiple serious injuries, which may result in death or disability. Common causes include injuries caused by the negligence of another party.
Approximately 20,000 people are caused to suffer major trauma in England every year with 5400 deaths, and it remains the main cause of death for people under 40 in England.
A large proportion of major trauma cases are caused by road traffic accidents.
Read more about major trauma.
Why have we created the Major Trauma Group?
The Major Trauma Group has been created to enhance the rehabilitation journey and provide specialist legal assistance for those suffering major trauma. This is achieved by providing access to legal advice, particularly for those who might otherwise be “discharged to google”. Rehabilitation is at the core of our members’ services, with an emphasis on maximising recovery and ensuring financial security.
In 2012, the NHS rolled out 27 Major Trauma Centres (MTCs) across England. MTCs are specialist hospitals responsible for the care of the most severely injured patients. They provide skilled consultant led trauma teams with a multidisciplinary team approach 24 hours a day. Under the MTC model patients are given an NHS Rehabilitation Prescription but post discharge there can be a “postcode lottery” for the provision of community-based rehabilitation services.
Rehabilitation can also be dependent on the type of injury suffered, with a tendency for enhanced rehabilitation where there is specialist commissioning, such as for brain injury, spinal cord injury or amputation but typically not complex orthopaedic / musculoskeletal injuries (MSK). In addition, social care is limited and subject to means testing.
What differentiates Major Trauma Group?
Major Trauma Group members offer a unique service as they have an in-depth knowledge of the health and social care pathways therefore ensuring a focus extending beyond compensation for injuries and loss. Our aim is to utilise insurance payments to supplement rehabilitation provision and help integrate services in order to improve clinical outcomes and the client experience along the treatment and care pathways.
Major Trauma Group members are specialist in utilising the Rehabilitation code as part of the personal injury claims process. The Code provides for an assessment in respect of physical, psychological, social and vocational needs and subsequent funding for treatment and support. It may also be possible to secure interim payments to alleviate financial hardship.
Our members are committed to:
- securing funding for supplemental rehabilitation via the legal claims process,
- improving clinical outcomes,
- easing the financial burden on NHS,
- improving the patient/client experience,
- ensuring appropriate recompense.
Does Major Trauma Group support the NHS?
Most people who have undergone a major trauma will have been treated at a Major Trauma Centre (MTC) which is funded by the NHS.
The specialists, nurses and support staff within the Major Trauma Centres provide an excellent level of care and support. This incredible work is all funded by the NHS.
It is the view of the Major Trauma Group that in situations where people have been injured due to the negligence of another and where there is insurance in place in relation to that negligence that the insurance companies should meet the cost of that rehabilitation. This would relieve some of the pressure on the NHS and enable the NHS to reallocate that vital funding elsewhere.
There is a mechanism in place to enable the NHS to recover some of its expenditure in these circumstances. This is known as the NHS Injury Cost Recovery Scheme. It is however the case that the NHS is limited under this scheme as to the circumstances in which it can seek to recover costs from insurance companies and the amount which the NHS is allowed to recover is capped at an amount well below the actual costs that are incurred. It has been estimated that the difference between the amount which the insurance industry are required to pay per patient and the true cost of treating these patients is in excess of £400 million per year.
It is therefore the view of the Major Trauma Group that the NHS Injury Cost Recovery Scheme should be reformed to both increase the circumstances in which the NHS is entitled to recover its costs from insurance companies and to increase the amounts that can be recovered per patient. This would provide a valuable funding boost to the NHS at a time when the need to do so has never been greater.
What services does Major Trauma Group provide?
Major Trauma Group provides legal and other services for:
- Rehabilitation and Personal Injury Compensation
- Welfare benefits
- Community care
- Court protection, e.g., powers of attorney/deputy appointments
- Employment support including vocational rehabilitation
- Special educational Needs support for children
- Family advice
- Charity signposting
A brief overview of Major Trauma Group
How Major Trauma Group benefits their clients
Who are the Major Trauma Group?
How Major Trauma Group's personal injury solicitors benefit their compensation claim clients
Chair of Major Trauma Group, Trevor Sterling, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, Ian McMurdie, and Case Management and Social care Consultant, Carole Chantler discuss Major Trauma Group’s focus on early rehabilitation to improve health outcomes through a personal injury compensation claim.
Who are the Major Trauma Group and how can they help me?
Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, Ian McMurdie, and Case Management and Social care Consultant, Carole Chantler, describe how the Major Trauma Group solicitors prioritise the best rehabilitation outcomes for their personal injury compensation claim clients.
Who are the Major Trauma Group and how can they help me?
Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, Ian McMurdie, and Case Management and Social care Consultant, Carole Chantler, describe how the Major Trauma Group solicitors prioritise the best rehabilitation outcomes for their personal injury compensation claim clients.
Our Team
Jonathan Clement
Partner, CL Medilaw
Jonathan is a Partner in the Serious Injury team at CL Medilaw.
He is passionate about his work and the rights of his clients and focusses on ensuring that they are sufficiently compensated for their injuries to facilitate their rehabilitation and provide security in the long term.
Jonathan is a Trustee for Headway East Sussex.
Sally Dunscombe
Operations
Sally is a Director and co-founder of Brain Injury Group.
She has many years’ experience in the operation of law firms and supporting industries and recognises the importance of and need for a central point of reference for those needing help after suffering a major trauma.
Sally works closely with the charity Brain Injury is BIG to support those who suffer brain injury.
Tim Jones
Legal Director, Enable Law
Tim is a Legal Director in the Serious Personal Injury team at Enable Law. He is motivated by fighting for justice for the victims of serious accidents and to achieve the best possible outcomes for his clients including access to wide ranging rehabilitation.
Tim works closely with his local hospital to ensure that those who suffer serious injury receive the advice and support they need.
Julie McCarthy
Operations
Julie is Training and Membership Manager at Brain Injury Group. She has over 30 years’ experience in law firm administration and operations and assists people in her current role to find the specialist advice and support they need following brain injury.
Julie is a volunteer for her local homeless charity in her spare time.
Dr Ian McCurdie
Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine
Dr Ian McCurdie is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine with extensive experience in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in the military and in high performance sport.
He is a Director of Remedy Healthcare, providing specialist rehabilitation to those with complex MSK injuries.
Claire Roantree
Partner, Boyes Turner
Claire is a Partner in the Personal Injury team at Boyes Turner LLP, Reading.
She specialises in helping those who suffer from complex multiple injuries following major trauma, helping them to achieve the best outcome on their rehabilitation and recovery journey and to obtain financial security for their future.
Claire is a trustee for Cycle Smart Foundation, a charity that promotes safer cycling amongst children through education and training and by lobbying for the wearing of cycle helmets amongst children to be made law.
Trevor Sterling
Partner, Moore Barlow
Trevor is a Partner and head of Major Trauma Service at Moore Barlow.
He has over 35 years’ experience of supporting major trauma victims and is a passionate advocate in respect of rehabilitation. Trevor has been involved in a number of high-profile cases including the Paddington rail crash, Bath tipper truck tragedy, Croydon tram disaster and the Westminster terrorist attacks.
Trevor received the Rehabilitation First Award in 2013, 2014 and 2016, was highly commended at the Law Society’s Excellence Awards in 2018 as “Solicitor of the Year” and named Lawyer of the Year (Private Practice) at the UK legal Diversity Awards in 2019.
Martin Usher
Partner, Lime Solicitors
Martin is a Partner and leads the Serious Injury Team at Lime Solicitors.
Martin has over 15 years of experience of acting for people who have sustained serious injury and major trauma including expertise in acting for people who have sustained, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and complex orthopaedic injuries. Martin adopts a holistic approach to meeting his client’s needs, ensuring both early access to rehabilitation to enable his clients to make the best possible recovery and as far as possible return to their previous levels of independence and quality of life, and making sure that he is able to secure the compensation required to make sure that the client’s needs in the future will be fully met. Martin is passionate about the work that he does and works tirelessly to ensure the best outcome for his clients.
Martin has acted in many high profile matters including the M5 motorway crash and the Westminster Terror Attack and has been recognised by Legal 500.
Martin has worked very closely with Headway, a charity supporting people that have sustained traumatic brain injuries, and has served as Trustee of his local Headway Group for several years.
Michael Wangermann
Partner, Ashtons Legal
Michael is a Partner and heads the Injury Services Group at Ashtons Legal.
For over 20 years’ he has been focusing on helping clients to get their lives back on track after traumatic injury. Michael is passionate about accessing the most suitable rehabilitation to assist in each client’s individual situation and securing the compensation required to meet the client’s future needs.
Michael is a Trustee of his local branch of Citizens Advice and also a member of PEOPIL, an organisation bringing together injury lawyers across Europe to help ensure that those injured abroad are properly supported.
Michael Wangermann
Committee Member (Legal)
Michael is a Partner and heads the Injury Services Group at Ashtons Legal.
For over 20 years’ he has been focusing on helping clients to get their lives back on track after traumatic injury. Michael is passionate about accessing the most suitable rehabilitation to assist in each client’s individual situation and securing the compensation required to meet the client’s future needs.
Michael is a Trustee of his local branch of Citizens Advice and also a member of PEOPIL, an organisation bringing together injury lawyers across Europe to help ensure that those injured abroad are properly supported.
Our Member Firms
Click on the logo to meet our member firms
Previous
Next
Friends of Major Trauma Group
View the charity friends of Major Trauma Group
A brighter future
Specialist support on the many financial and legal issues arising from your injuries and affecting your recovery. Our legal experts work on providing the best outcome from any compensation claim to aid your rehabilitation.
Get in touch to learn more.
