(This blog first appeared on the 13th of May 2022 but has now been revised to take into account the updated damages figures set out in the latest edition of the Judicial College Guidelines published in April 2026.)
Judges who decide what a personal injury claim is worth at court and solicitors who advise clients on whether to settle a case before it goes to court do so by using a mixture of tools at their disposal to help them decide on the value of a claim.
The Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases is a small book that runs to less than ninety pages. It is one of the tools lawyers use to help them determine the value of an injury claim.
Updated versions of the book are published every few years. The latest edition is the 18th, published in April 2026.
The book’s headline refers to ‘the assessment of general damages’, so before going further, it’s worth looking at what is meant by ‘general damages’.
What are general damages in personal injury claims?
The term ‘general damages’ refers to compensation awarded for the injury suffered by an individual. However, it is more than that because, as well as compensating an accident victim for the pain and suffering they endure, general damages compensate them for loss of amenity.
The simplest definition of loss of amenity is to say it is the loss of the ability to do certain things, e.g. to play football, go walking, study, or socialise.
What is in the Judicial College Guidelines that makes them so helpful in valuing general damages in a personal injury claim?
The 18th edition of the Guidelines has fourteen chapters, each devoted to a group of related injuries. For example, the chapter headed ‘Orthopaedic Injuries’ lists each kind of orthopaedic injury (with ‘orthopaedic’ referring to injuries to bones, muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles) as follows:
- Neck Injuries
- Back Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries
- Pelvis and Hip injuries
- Arm Amputations
- Other Arm Injuries
- Injuries to the elbows
- Wrist Injuries
- Hand Injuries
- Leg Injuries
- Knee injuries
- Ankle injuries
- Achilles Tendon injuries
- Foot injuries
- Toe Injuries
Each type of injury has its own section, setting out a guideline figure for general damages based on the severity of the injury. As an example, the table below illustrates the types of damages that now apply to severe back injuries:
| (A) Severe
|
|
| (i) Most severe from | £120,340 to £212,670 |
| (II) Cases with special features | £97,980 to £116,820 |
| (III) Cases of disc lesions, fractures, soft tissue injuries leading to chronic conditions | £51,230 to £92,130 |
(The book explains the factors required to define each grade of severity in greater detail than in our examples.)
So, staying back with back injuries as an example, the section goes on to provide guideline compensation figures for moderate and minor back injuries, with each sub-section again broken down into degrees of severity. with the appropriate guideline valuations in each case.
Each injury section is set out in the same way. The book covers a broad range of injuries, with chapters on:
- Injuries resulting in death
- Injuries involving paralysis
- Brain and head injury
- Psychiatric and psychological Damage
- Injuries affecting the senses
- Injuries to internal organs
- Orthopaedic injuries
- Work-related limb disorders
- Chronic pain
- Facial injuries
- Scarring to other parts of the body
- Damage to hair
- Dermatitis and other skin conditions
- Minor injuries
In most cases, the value of an injury is expressed not as a single amount but as falling within a range, e.g. Back Injuries – Most Severe – £120,340 to £212,670.
The Guidelines provide a range of valuations because no two injury claims can ever be precisely the same. A working party of experienced lawyers decides the valuations of general damages to be included in the Guidelines. The figures are based on the decisions from previously decided cases that have ended up in court. It is rare for two similar court cases to result in the same amount of damages being awarded.
The overriding principle of the Guidelines is that they are just that, guidelines. They are an aid to solicitors, barristers, and judges when working out the valuation of a claim.
Rarely is a personal injury claim pursued only for general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). For instance, in catastrophic injury claims, the award for PSLA may often be dwarfed by the associated claims for future care costs, adaptations to the injured person’s home, loss of earnings, past and future damages, and other related damages.
To find out more about the multiple types of damages that can make up a personal injury claim, see our blog ‘What is the typical payout for personal injury in the UK?
Mooneerams are experienced personal injury solicitors.
Most of the claims Mooneerams handle are funded on a No Win No Fee basis.
Call Mooneerams now on 029 2199 1927 if you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, and you would like advice on how to start a claim.
You can also contact us by putting your details in the designated box on the right-hand side of this page and clicking the ‘Start Your Claim’ button.
Find out more about all the factors involved in valuing an injury claim in our blog, ‘How much is the average personal injury settlement worth?’
Posted in Personal Injury Claims
