Ok chaps .We paid the £90 ourselves as wife does not want the bother .I can't get about and wife barely so attending hearings etc is out. if I was fit I would have gone ahead with the claim. if we had tried OUR insurance our excess is greater than the claim. So went for the easy life .My son's mate promises to pay me back but can't help thinking the whole thing is con. We'll see. Thanks for all replies/ John O/T👍

i would imagine that the NHS or whoever runs the ambulance service must have public liability insurance

There should be a process for claiming damages and you will need to contact the Legal Department for the NHS. Where I am there is one at the nearest large hospital some 4 miles away.

If you are a member of a trade union, they usually have a legal department who can advise you on matters like these. Failing this you can get info off the Citizens Advice. There are many paths available to making a claim, one of these being the ADR, (Alternative Disputes Resolution). This is where there is mediation takes place and in certain circumstances an Ombudsman will become involved.

This method tends to be used more as an alternative to the Small Claims Court and to what I understand it is used quite often now and in the event of you taking your claim to the court the judge may ask you if you have taken the ADR route prior to getting a writ issued.

If you were to use your home insurance policy it is advisable to check with your insurance company first in case it has detrimental effect on your future premium.

On the other hand you may find that the NHS would offer you compensation on submission of your claim as they would not want to continue with a lengthy and costly legal case.

Boaty😁