header-logo header-logo

Standard life

01 May 2015 / Philippa Luscombe
Issue: 7650 / Categories: Opinion , Damages , Personal injury
printer mail-detail
nlj_may_1_luscombe

Should quality of life depend on the ability to claim compensation, ask Philippa Luscombe & Helen Hammond

The benefits system has been a subject of hot debate over recent years, with “benefits cheats” and “scroungers” used as labels in the press. Those who over-use or abuse the NHS are also often flagged by the media also, albeit that the NHS itself is targeted for more criticism.

Often forgotten within this debate is that there are very many deserving individuals for whom the benefits system and the NHS often fails to provide a reasonable standard of living taking into account the very severe disabilities they suffer.

Polarisation

The standard of living experienced by those with disabilities can be polarised between those who rely on government provision to help them cope with their disabilities and those who have successfully pursued a claim for compensation for injuries or disabilities sustained due to negligence. Those who have the ability to claim for their injuries can access high-quality rehabilitation, accommodation, equipment and support to optimise their outcome. But those

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll