Appropriate medical treatment

The Regulations qualify ‘likely to be permanent’ to assume that the person receives normal medical treatment for their disablement. When assessing whether appropriate medical treatment can be assumed to be given in a particular case, the SMP will have to consider the following:

• The extent to which the treatment is likely to be effective in preventing permanent disablement, taking account of the officer’s condition and of any other factors, such as allergies, which could lead to complications or harmful side-effects
• The extent to which the treatment is tried and tested
• The extent to which the treatment is available to the officer in time for it to be effective, taking account of general availability unless there are special reasons for that not being relevant.

It may assist to research the treatment options for the medical condition under the NICE guidelines (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and ensure that ALL treatment options have been completed or documented as not relevant by a medical professional.