Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely not! Our service is based on providing excellent value – and added value. Not only will you secure an appropriately qualified and skilled Expert Witness for your case without all the time and hassle of searching for one yourself, but we’ll handle all administration, bookings and ensure you get the report on time and have a dedicated manager at your beck and call too. You won’t pay any extra for this service than you would by going direct to a professional and all our Psychiatrists work to Legal Aid rates for your peace of mind.

Our Client Managers are highly skilled and trained professionals who have worked in the team for many years. All staff receive an in-depth induction when they join PD as well as ongoing intensive training. The Client Team work in specialties so they understand the sector inside out, have a deep knowledge of the medical professionals in our network and have seen and handled many complex and challenging cases. We enjoy consistently excellent feedback from clients who depend on their Client Managers again and again to deliver Expert Witnesses.

Try us! We have an excellent track record of meeting challenging briefs in terms of medical specialisms, timescales and locations. Your dedicated Client Manager will get to work straight away using their knowledge of our extensive register of Experts to find the right Psychiatrist. You can be confident that with PD you’ll have the very best chance of securing the EW you need in the time you need them.

The cost of a report can vary according to whether the case is legally aided or privately funded, psychiatry or psychology, how many individuals are being assessed and other factors. Our Client Managers will take a full brief at the outset, be mindful of your budget and provide you with a tailored quote upfront, so you will have peace of mind there will be no hidden costs.

Psychiatry Direct has a register of 1000 plus professional Psychologists and Psychiatrists who have been through our robust vetting process. We have a dedicated team of Client Managers in place to take a full briefing on the case, handle all queries, administration, assessment bookings and take responsibility for ensuring reports are supplied to an excellent standard, on time. Our service to you is to work on your behalf, save you time, and give you the peace of mind that the whole process will go smoothly.

In rare cases, if necessary, our Client Managers can ask for the expert’s permission to release their contact details to you if deemed appropriate.

This is often an area of confusion. Understanding the difference between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist can be crucial to securing the right Expert Witness for your case.

Psychologists are trained in human and emotional development. They use their extensive knowledge of human emotions, behaviour and mental health to assess the problems being experienced by their clients. Based on their expert assessment; conclusions, recommendations and treatment plans will be presented in a report as required.

Psychologists use a wide range of assessment techniques and therapy tools in order to understand and improve the mental health and psychological well-being of clients.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors and as such are qualified to prescribe medicines (such as anti-depressants) or in more extreme cases hospitalisation, to help measure and manage the symptoms being experienced. Psychiatrists make diagnoses of mental health conditions.

In some cases, it may not be immediately clear whether a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist is required. A complex case may even require both. Our extensive register of professionals includes both Psychologists and Psychiatrists, and our knowledgeable client team are on hand to give you the advice you need and supply the right expert witness. If you have any questions at all, just give us a call.

Yes. We are fully aware and understanding of our clients’ budgets, so all our Psychiatrists work to Legal Aid rates.

We can also supply CVs and quotes for 3 Experts with the full breakdown of hours, as required by the Legal Aid Agency.

The vast majority of our Psychiatrists are Section 12 approved. If this is a stipulation, your Client Manager will ensure one is assigned to your case.

We vett all of our Psychiatrists prior to registration and only accept applications from psychologists who are registered with the GMC. We also ask that they provide an anonymous copy of a previous report for us to check, before we give them their first instruction. In addition to this all reports are quality checked by our Client Management team prior to being released to you.

CLICK HERE for details of our Quality Assurance processes

Finally, we constantly monitor the performance of our Psychiatrists in terms of their ability to adhere to agreed fees & deadlines as we appreciate that these are also very important.

All reports are the responsibility of our team of Client Managers. Not only will they ensure they are delivered to the timescales needed, but all reports will be 100% proofread and quality checked to ensure all questions are answered and addressed, that the report fulfils the purpose needed and that any recommendations are comprehensive and clear.

CLICK HERE for details of our Quality Assurance processes

We are located in Epsom, Surrey, but this is purely our base of operations. Our 1000 plus-strong extensive network of Psychologists and Psychiatrists is nation-wide; therefore we are able to supply Expert Witnesses to all geographical locations within the UK.

Unfortunately, we only work business to business, through solicitors, local authorities and other agencies involved in legal proceedings such as the CPS or Courts. If you are a private individual looking for a psychiatrist, please speak with your GP.

At Psychiatry Direct we completely understand the importance of the timely supply of reports, and how crucial this is to our clients. Our standard service is that we aim to provide most psychiatric reports 4-6 weeks from instruction. We also know that sometimes deadlines faced by our clients mean an even faster report turnaround is needed. We have an excellent track record in going the extra mile to produce reports within days or weeks when required and exceeding our clients’ expectations on speed and efficiency. If you need more urgent help, just give us a call.

Should a report require the assessment of more than one person these timescales can be slightly longer. Your dedicated Client Manager will keep you updated on timescales and progress.

Our register of Psychiatrists contains professionals in a wide variety of specialist areas. Contact us for help with finding Expert Witnesses in Family Law, Criminal Law, PI/Civil Law, Immigration Law, Prison Law and Employment Law.

We pride ourselves on being able to meet tight deadlines, when nobody else can.  Our large network of associate Psychiatrists means we are often able to meet even the most demanding timescales for a report.

Contact us and we will rise to the challenge!

First of all, contact us! You can call us on 01306 879 975. You can request a call back. You can email us or use our contact form. Once we have your initial contact request, we’ll respond within an hour. One of our Client Managers will take a brief of your requirements, and get to work straight away, using their knowledge of our network of Psychologists and Psychiatrists to get you 3 CVs and quotes within 24 hours. Once an Expert Witness is instructed, bookings for assessments and all other administration required for the case will be managed by us and we will ensure that the report is delivered within your required timescales.