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Let's have a quick trawl through the Judicial College Guidelines then to see what sort of injuries claimants will be expected to pursue on their own without legal representation.

Chest injuries up to JC Chap 6 (A)(f) are less than £5k – that's fractured ribs leading to collapsed lungs. I have a case at the moment (as Defendant rep) where the Claimant damn nearly died (flail chest) where under the new rules he could easily have found himself a lit in person.

18 month whiplash neck (Chap 7 (A)(c)(i)) would be SCT. Ditto lower back injuries of similar duration whether from accident's at work or RTA's.

Lower end fractured clavicles sit at £4,290 (Chap 7 (C)(e)), so would by SCT.

Wrist fractures (Chap 7 (H)(f)) – SCT now. Less serious crush injuries, penetrating wounds, lacerations and soft tissue injuries to hands (Chap 7 (I)(g) – including permanent but 'non-intrusive' symptoms and (h)) – SCT.

Loss of part of the little finger – (Chap 7 (H)(p)) – SCT. Fracture of 1 finger – SCT. Severe dislocation of the thumb - likely SCT (Chap 7 (H)(y) and (z).

Many low end HAVS cases (permanent symptoms with only a modest effect on work or leisure mind you) (Chap 7 (J(d)). Low end eye injuries (Chap 5) (A)(h) and (i). Low end industrial deafness and tinnitus (B)(v), also now SCT. How many will be willing to invest in audiograms when the chances are they will not be able to recover the costs? How many more seriously impaired individuals will now not get a chance to claim at all even when they have got serious hearing loss because their case will be to risky to investigate? Good luck to a lit in person attempting to apply the Coles criteria to their own medical report!

Simple Tib/Fib fractures (Chap 7 (L)(c) and foot fractures (Chap 7 (P)(g) or toe injuries (Chap (7)(Q)(e) including fractures or crushing injuries with only near complete resolution. All SCT.

Minor scarring, also now SCT. Hell, a hernia comes in within the proposed SCT limits or even loss of the spleen, as does complete infertility (albeit presumably only in the elderly).