MP warns doctors on roles in insurance scams

ALLEGATIONS that a Yorkshire doctor signed a false whiplash claim in return for cash means the medical profession “must accept its role” in insurance fraud, an MP said last night.

The General Medical Council is understood to be investigating Dr Muhammad Raheel Shaikh, who works at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, over accusations he helped write a false claim.

Bradford East MP David Ward, who has campaigned over rocketing motor insurance premiums in recent years, said the case, if proven, would appear to show that doctors were “part of the problem”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is alleged Dr Shaikh, of Dewsbury, charged £250 for an 18-minute consultation in which he agreed to assist a claimant despite the fact that they were suffering no injury whatsoever.

The appointment apparently took place at a clinic in Wakefield earlier this month and was staged in an attempt to show that unscrupulous doctors were prepared to sign off false reports.

Mr Ward, who has also campaigned on the issue of staged car crashes which then allow groundless injury claims to be made, said it was “inevitable” doctors were involved in fraud cases.

The MP added: “This case is no surprise. There is now so much money involved in the insurance claims business and all the evidence we have collected show there are many aspects to this.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But the huge increase in the volume and value of personal injury claims is the single most significant factor in rising insurance premiums for good, honest decent people.

“There are all sorts of scams going on, and obviously it is disappointing that some members of the medical profession now appear to be getting in on the act, but I am afraid it is inevitable.

“What is now making it worse is the more people are paying in in premiums the more they are tempted to try and get some of that cash back through whatever means. It is a vicious circle.”

Recent figures released by the Compensation Recovery Unit at the Department of Work and Pensions, showed that whiplash claims cost insurers £2bn a year, with bogus payouts adding £90 to the typical car insurance premium.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The statistics showed that 542,922 claims were received from April 2011 to March 2012 with 10,111 coming from Bradford alone.

Liberal Democrat MP Mr Ward said he had entered into early discussions to start a pilot project with GPs in the city in a bid to engage with doctors who regularly write medical notes for whiplash claimants.

He added: “I am delighted to say that the Government now appears to be taking this seriously and I know that the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke recently held a meeting with the Prime Minister on the issue.

“At the end of the day, unless we can start to do something about these personal injury claims, the costs to ordinary law-abiding people are just going to continue to increase.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Dealing with the involvement of the medical profession is the most difficult part, but we can’t ignore it just because it is difficult for Government and the profession to deal with.

“The medical profession itself has to take a lead in this and it must accept its role. It is part and parcel of the problem, and doctors can’t deny responsibility.

“It has now got to the point where people are going to hospital and so-called claims management companies are being allowed to advertise in waiting rooms and on appointment cards.

“That cannot be right. The industry must be regulated and if that means bringing in legislation to ensure that people can’t play the system then that is what we should be looking at.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Britain is widely regarded in the insurance industry as the whiplash capital of Europe. Official figures show that between 2005 and 2010, accident injury claims increased by 70 per cent, despite road accidents falling by 23 per cent.

Dr Shaikh could not be contacted yesterday, and a spokesman at Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust said he was not aware of the allegations and added that nobody from the trust was available for comment.