Can you provide a focused disability-only report?

Yes. Where the only live issue is whether the claimant meets the Equality Act disability definition, we provide a proportionate report focused on the s.6 test rather than a full PI report, at a correspondingly lower fee.

Will the expert address Hatton foreseeability?

Where breach of duty is in issue, yes. The report will identify what indicators of psychiatric vulnerability were available to the employer at the relevant times and whether psychiatric injury was reasonably foreseeable.

How quickly can a report be delivered?

Standard turnaround is 1–2 weeks from receipt of the bundle and access to the assessee. Urgent reports can be delivered in 2–5 working days where a Crown Court trial date, tribunal listing or interim hearing requires it. We will tell you on day one whether the deadline is realistic.

How are fees calculated?

We agree a fixed fee for the report and any addendum, joint statement work and CMC/court attendance up front. Fees reflect the complexity, the volume of records and the urgency. We will provide a written quote that supports a Legal Aid prior authority application where required.

Can the expert be instructed as a Single Joint Expert?

Yes. The majority of our consultants accept SJE instructions and are experienced in dealing with joint letters of instruction, Part 35 questions from both sides, and joint reports with experts of like discipline.

Is in-person assessment essential?

Most assessments can be conducted by secure video, which keeps costs and timescales down and avoids travel. In-person assessment is arranged where the case calls for it, for example where capacity, malingering, or a child or learning-disabled assessee is involved, and across all the UK regions we cover.

What happens if the report is challenged at court?

The instructed expert remains responsible for the case end-to-end, including responding to Part 35 questions, attending the joint experts' discussion, signing the joint statement, and giving live evidence. There is no handover to a different expert at trial.

Case type

Employment Law

Employment tribunal and High Court employment claims often turn on whether the claimant suffered a recognised psychiatric injury caused or materially contributed to by their employment, and on whether they meet the disability definition under the Equality Act 2010.

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Use this category when…

You need to map a court order or letter from counsel to the right report
You're confirming whether a psychiatric expert (rather than a psychologist) is the right discipline
You want a fixed quote and a realistic deadline before instructing

What to send with your enquiry

A short summary plus the items below is enough for us to match an expert and confirm the deadline — you don't need the full bundle to get a quote.

Short case summary and the questions you want answered
Hearing or listing date and jurisdiction
GP and psychiatric records (full set where available)
Witness statements, schedules of loss or threshold documents
Any prior expert reports
Court order granting permission to instruct (family / Court of Protection)

Overview

Employment claims with a psychiatric component cluster around two questions: did the claimant suffer a recognised psychiatric injury caused or materially contributed to by the employment, and does any condition meet the disability definition under s.6 of the Equality Act 2010. Both questions need a structured psychiatric answer.

Reports are used in tribunal and in High Court proceedings, and increasingly in pre-action contexts to support, or to defeat, a claim before significant costs are incurred.

Legal framework

Reports may be required under CPR Part 35 (for High Court claims) or under the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure for tribunal proceedings, and frequently address the Equality Act 2010 disability definition.

Psychiatric issues addressed

Work-related stress, depression and anxiety
Bullying and harassment-related psychiatric injury
Adjustment disorders following dismissal or detriment
Disability under the Equality Act 2010
Causation and apportionment in long-running workplace claims

Questions you can put to the expert

Drop any of these straight into your letter of instruction.

Does the claimant have a recognised psychiatric disorder?
Was it caused or materially contributed to by their employment?
Does the disorder amount to a disability under s.6 Equality Act 2010?
What is the prognosis and what reasonable adjustments would have helped?

Employment law: areas we cover

Constructive dismissal and post-termination injury

Reports address the psychiatric impact of dismissal or detriment, distinguishing between hurt feelings (not compensable as personal injury) and recognised psychiatric disorder, with an evidenced opinion on prognosis.

Disability under the Equality Act 2010

We provide focused reports on whether the claimant meets the s.6 definition, recognised mental impairment, substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, with the analysis tied directly to the statutory wording and Schedule 1.

Discrimination and detriment claims

In discrimination claims the psychiatric report often addresses injury to feelings, aggravated damages, and the impact on future earning capacity in addition to the underlying disorder.

Work-related stress and bullying

Reports address whether bullying, harassment or excessive workload caused or materially contributed to a recognised psychiatric disorder, applying Hatton v Sutherland and the foreseeability framework where breach of duty is in issue.

What's in the report

Part 35 / FPR Part 25 / CrimPR statement of compliance, as applicable
Expert's CV and statement of independence
Detailed list of materials considered (records, statements, scans, prior reports)
Full history, mental state examination and collateral information
Diagnostic formulation referenced to ICD-11 / DSM-5-TR
Reasoned opinion on causation, apportionment, prognosis and treatment
Indicative treatment costings where requested
Statement of truth signed in the prescribed form

How we help

Same-day shortlist of suitable consultants once we receive a brief instruction
Choice of male or female assessor, and of sub-specialty, on every instruction
Fixed fees agreed up front; Legal Aid prior authority figures supported
Standard turnaround 1–2 weeks; urgent reports inside 5 working days where the diary allows
Joint reports, addendum reports, Part 35 questions and CMC attendance handled by the same expert
Remote (secure video) or in-person assessment across the UK

Frequently asked questions

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