The Department of Health is proposing to increase the organisation and professionalism of medical expert witnesses in family law cases. Expert work in child protection cases is considered part of the remit of the NHS [to protect children] and could be paid for as a public service. The model has many features which could be applied to other expert witness work and would lead to greater accountability.
Evidence from:
Department of Health Consultation. October 2006. 277342
“Bearing Good Witness: Proposals for reforming the delivery of medical expert evidence in family law cases – Consultation”
Quality assurance, peer review, mentoring and a knowledge service are all potentially transferable to other areas of medical expert witness work. Audit of opinion vs. objective outcomes could also be useful in increasing the accuracy of advice and this would be facilitated by the existence of a more organised body of expert witnesses.
Further detail: