At BBK we are passionate about supporting injured people, not just through winning their cases but by advocating for changes in the law. Our work is informed by our clients’ experiences and our partnerships with charities which support our clients and others like them.
We raise awareness with governments (local, central and devolved), politicians and policymakers. Our solicitors have contributed oral evidence to select committees and APPG’s, and regularly respond to consultations and calls for evidence.
In the past we have successfully campaigned to change the law on the time limits within which survivors of abuse can bring compensation claims, and to amend the civil court rules to make special provisions for vulnerable parties and witnesses. More recently, we have acted to remove Peter Sherwin’s MBE, highlighted the problems disabled people have in accessing public transport and our courtrooms and shone a light on health inequality in the NHS.
All this leads to our Manifesto for Injured People, through which we present policy ideas we believe to be vital to improving the lives of many in our society. We hope that by publishing our manifesto, the plight of seriously injured people will be in the minds of prospective parliamentary candidates as we embark on the next general election.
Our manifesto proposes 10 key areas that need to be prioritised by politicians. Within each point we have laid out clear and practical policies to carry out those priorities:
1a. Expand ‘position of trust’ roles to protect more children
1b. Introduce mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse
1c. Expand concussion in sport guidelines to prevent injuries
2.b Improve the accessibility of public transport
3a. Eradicate health inequality for those from ethnic minority communities
3b. Treat whistleblowers in the NHS fairly
4a. Conduct a nationwide review into maternity care and birth trauma
4b. End the maternity care postcode lottery
4c. Invest in medical research into women’s health
5a. Improve road safety with 20mph zones and smart motorway changes
5b. Update e-scooter legislation
6a. Criminalise sexual relationships between trainees and commanding officers
6b. Change the sexual trauma jurisdiction
6c. Revamp the Service Complaints process
7a. Define bullying in legislation
7b. Oblige ACAS to notify workers of the civil claims route
8a. Educate society about the effects of brain injury
8b. Support stroke survivors with Rehabilitation Prescriptions
9a. Create more spinal injury rehabilitation centres
9b. Improve education and awareness about Cauda Equina Syndrome
9c. Provide funding for the National Suspected Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) Pathway
10a. Stop the delays in our justice system
10b. Making courtrooms more accessible and safe
10c. Reform the law on apologies in civil proceedings
You can read our manifesto in full here.
At BBK we will continue to work with politicians from all political parties to ensure injured people are prioritised in Westminster and across all levels of government.