Checking availability and conflicts
Every instruction to Insight Medicolegal begins with the same two questions: is there capacity to deliver a report within the timescale the case requires, and is there anything in the history of the practice that would compromise independence. Both are answered before terms are agreed and before any records are read, so that no time is lost on either side.
What an availability enquiry answers
An availability enquiry is not an instruction and creates no obligation on either side. It establishes whether the diary can accommodate an assessment and a report within your deadline, whether the subject matter falls within Dr Qureshi's areas of expertise, and what the indicative fee and turnaround would be for the report you have in mind. Where the timescale cannot be met, that is said at once rather than after records have been sent.
Enquiries are answered by return where possible; the practice aims to respond within [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: X working days]. Where a diet is imminent, say so in the first line of the enquiry and the position will be confirmed by telephone.
What to include in the enquiry
None of this is confidential material and no records should be sent at this stage. It is simply enough information to run the conflict check and price the work.
- Names of the parties — The pursuer or defender, any co-party, and the name of the person to be assessed. Names are what the conflict check runs against.
- Instructing firm and fee-earner — Firm name, the agent with conduct of the file and your own reference.
- The party represented — Whether the instruction is for the pursuer, the defender, an insurer or a regulator.
- Nature of the matter — Personal injury, clinical negligence, fitness to practise, capacity, employment, tribunal, criminal, family or immigration.
- Court or tribunal and any diet — The Court of Session, the sheriff court and sheriffdom, or the tribunal, together with any assigned proof or hearing date.
- Deadline — The date by which the report is required, and whether that date is fixed by the court or by agreement between agents.
- Volume of records — An approximate page count and whether records are already held, since that governs both timescale and fee.
- Venue preference — Whether an in-person assessment in Glasgow, a venue elsewhere in Scotland, or a secure video assessment is envisaged.
How the conflict check is carried out
Dr Qureshi holds a substantive NHS and independent-sector clinical practice as well as a medico-legal practice. A person who has been, or is, under his clinical care cannot be the subject of an independent report, and an instruction from one party cannot be accepted where the practice has already advised the other. The check covers:
- The person to be assessed, checked against current and former NHS and private clinical caseloads.
- The parties to the action and any co-parties or third parties on the record.
- The instructing firm, opposing agents and any expert already instructed in the same matter.
- Any earlier instruction in a related action, including reports prepared for the other side.
Where a conflict is identified, it is disclosed immediately and the instruction is declined. Where a matter is borderline — a single historic contact, for example, or an earlier report on an unrelated action — the facts are put to the instructing agent so that the decision on whether to proceed rests with the party, not with the expert.
What happens once the check is clear
Confirmation of availability is issued together with the basis of charge and an indicative turnaround, set out under fees and timescales. Once terms are agreed, send the letter of instruction with the records listed there. The assessment is then arranged directly with the person to be assessed, on the terms described under the assessment, and the report follows in the format set out under reports.
Enquiries may be sent through the contact page or by telephone on 07739 587092. A telephone enquiry is often quickest where a proof has already been assigned.
Instructing Dr Qureshi
Instructions are accepted from pursuer and defender agents, insurers, regulatory bodies and occupational health providers. A conflict check is carried out before any instruction is accepted.
Or call 07739 587092.