Before your assessment
Forrest mental health specialists are medical doctors with training and experience in assessing people who have suffered from torture and trauma, and writing medico-legal reports about this.
Before your appointment the doctor will have read documents provided by your legal representative, including your witness statement if you have done one.
The doctor will not usually have access to your medical records before the assessment. It can be helpful to bring any GP or hospital letters and medications with you to help the doctor understand any health problems or medication you have had.
What will the Forrest doctor ask me?
During an appointment with a Forrest doctor you will be asked to talk about what has happened to you, how this has affected you, and about your health since that time. We know that this can be hard to talk about and we will support you during the interview.
It is important to give the doctor as much information as you can, but you should also tell the doctor if there are things you can’t remember well or feel confused about.
The doctor will ask you about any psychological problems you have and any treatments you have had.
The doctor will ask about other experiences in your life, such as childhood, family life, school, and work because this information helps us to write a report about what has happened to you and about your health before and after your torture or trauma.
How long will the appointment take?
The assessment can often take much as two or three hours because there will be a lot to talk about. You can tell the doctor if you would like a break at any time.
Interpreters
Your legal representative may arrange for an interpreter to be present during your interview. This can be helpful even if your English is quite good, because some medical words and questions can be harder to understand. Interpreters are professionally trained and have strict rules on confidentiality. The interpreter will not talk to anyone else about your case.
If you think you need an interpreter or have questions about interpreters please ask your legal representative.
The Forrest report
After your Forrest appointment the doctor will write a report about your mental health and the impact of your experiences.
This report will be reviewed by a lawyer from Forrest and sometimes by another doctor before it is sent to your own legal representative. It takes around five weeks to get the report to your legal representative.
Forrest reports, like all medico-legal reports, are written in a particular way and follow international standards and rule established by the UK courts. The reports must be objective (based upon what the doctor sees) honest and impartial (not taking sides) and have to consider that there could be other causes for your health problems, and talk about how likely these other causes are.
Your legal representative will be able to talk you through the report, what it means, and where it will be sent.
Confidentiality
Everyone at Forrest is bound by confidentiality rules. This means that we will not share information about you with anyone apart from the Forrest team and your legal representative without your agreement.
The only time that we would break this rule is if we were very worried about your safety or about someone else’s safety; for example, if we thought you were going to hurt yourself. We would not talk to anyone about you without explaining this to you first.
Support after the appointment
After your appointment you may feel very tired or upset, especially when you have talked about very difficult experiences. It is important to take good care of yourself afterwards. You may find it helpful to see a friend or family member or plan to rest afterwards.
If you are feeling very upset you could also speak to your GP or call the Samaritans who are a group offering telephone support to people in distress, on 116 123 (free).
If you have health problems which your Forrest doctor thinks might need treatment, they will ask you to make an appointment with your GP. Forrest doctors cannot give you medical advice or treatment or prescribe medicine, but they may offer to write you a letter for your own doctor to help them understand your problems when you go to see them.
Forrest doctors are not legally trained and cannot give you advice on your case.
If you have any questions about your Forrest appointment or report, please speak to your legal representative.