The Legal Services Department:
- Handles all Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Claims received by SECAmb.
- Manages all Inquest correspondence and prepares staff for attendance at Inquests.
- Handles Loss/Damage Claims from patients/visitors/staff.
- Manages Subject Access Requests from Solicitors
- Provides a general advisory service on legal issues within SECAmb.
Solicitor requests for medical records
Please note that as an ambulance service, our records are based on the incidents we attend rather than patients’ names or personal details. As such it is vital that we are supplied with accurate incident information to locate our attendance. This includes but is not limited to the time, date, full/exact location of attendance, nature of the incident and the hospital transferred to.
To avoid delays in or non-receipt it is also crucial to ensure that all requests, correspondence, cover letters etc. are emailed to solicitor.enquiries@secamb.nhs.uk
When applying for a copy of medical records or any other personal information, please provide the following within your application:
- The time, date and exact location of the ambulance attendance
- The name of the hospital the patient was conveyed to (where appropriate)
- The patient’s name
- Your client’s name
- A written form of authority signed by the patient,* addressed to SECAmb and dated within the last six months.
- Your email address for us to respond to.
*Where you are acting for a party other than the patient, we will be unable to provide you with any patient specific information without the signed consent of the patient. Please contact the patient, their solicitor or representative to obtain this before making your request for information.
We will be unable to process any solicitor requests for information where the details outlined above are not received with your application.
Solicitor requests for questionnaires / statements
The completion of statements / questionnaires (completed independently by members of staff) can be arranged however please note:
- Participation is at the individual member of staff’s discretion
- A fee of £50.00 will be payable per statement / questionnaire
- Payment will be required in advance (where it has been confirmed that the member(s) of staff has/have agreed to participate)
Solicitor interviews with members of staff
Interviews with members of staff can be arranged however please note:
- Participation is at the individual member of staff’s discretion
- Availability is subject to operational pressures and interviews can be cancelled at short notice (or cut short) where the members of staff are required for emergency deployment
- All interviews will be conducted at staff’s base ambulance station (or other location convenient to the member of staff)
- A standing fee of £100 will be payable per member of staff being interviewed
- Payment will be required in advance of the interview (where the member(s) of staff has agreed to participate)
Care Proceedings
Please note the following in relation to requests arising in care proceedings:
- We need a copy of the sealed Order as soon as possible after it is made. We are unable to service short notice Orders (eg a statement within less than one week)
- Please specify the dates and locations an ambulance is believed to have attended
- Operational demands prohibit the release of multiple crew members to attend court or provide statements, or the release of any crew member over multiple days. Please determine which witness you need and on what date. Last minute changes cannot be accommodated.
Solicitor requests for HR and Finance related queries
For information requests where your client is a member of staff and you are seeking their personal or earnings information, please forward your request to:
Human Resources Department, SECAmb HQ, Nexus House, Gatwick Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9BG
