The DCP is the pilot of an online portal for the management of certain civil claims. Until recently, claims issued in the DCP, remain in the DCP only until the directions questionnaires are filed, at which point they are allocated to a County Court for onward case management. There are other reasons why matters may fall out of the DCP, e.g. extensions of time greater than 28 days.

There have been 16 early adopter courts trialling additional case progression steps including the uploading of evidence, payment of fees, general applications and confirmation of readiness for trial amongst others. These steps are now being expanded to all other County Courts, however, at this stage this is only for claims allocated to the small claims or fast tracks. 

If this further roll out is successful, further roll outs will potentially include more complicated claims. The aim of this is to increase the efficiency of claims and reduce the burden on individual court centres. As such, the pilot has been extended to October 2025.

Medical malpractice insurance: mid-year review 2024 

• Case law update
  
  • Holmes v Poeton Holdings Limited [2023]
  • Man v St George's University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2024]
  • Clarke v Poole and others [2024]
  • Spellman v Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust [2024]
  • Healey v McGrath and Ramsay Healthcare UK Operations Ltd [2024]
  • PHJ v HMA (unreported)
  • Cases still to be heard: CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Fixed Recoverable Costs: where are they?
• New damages guidelines published in April 2024
  
  • Sexual/ physical abuse claims
  • Technology
  • 10% uplift to account for future inflation
• Alternative Dispute Resolution becoming integrated into claims processes
  
  • Mediation in Low Value Claims
  • Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) consultation
• Discount Rate Review: what might happen?

Get in touch

Aiming to be the firm of choice for medical malpractice insurers and those who they cover, we advise and support on all aspect of claims, inquests and associated proceedings.

To discuss how any of these issues may affect your organisation, please get in touch with Majid Hassan, Ed Mellor or Sarah Bryant.