Doctor experts in family court cases should be allowed to work from their desks, says working group

Medical experts in family court cases should be allowed to give evidence from their hospital desks, a working group of judges, medical royal colleges, and doctors’ representatives has recommended.

The suggestion is among 22 recommendations from the group, set up by the president of the High Court’s family division to help tackle a serious shortage of doctors willing to act as experts in family court cases involving children. The shortage was “likely in some cases to be harmful to children” because of the delays in finalising placements for children, the report said.1

The exercise marks “the first time a number of medical royal colleges, professional bodies, and the family court have pooled their experiences to come together to develop joint health and …