STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION OF FORENSIC MEDICAL SERVICES

• Jurisdiction: Australia

Introduction ................................................................................................... [41.300]

The independent contractor .......................................................................... [41.320]

Government or agency employment............................................................. [41.340]

Direct employment by police......................................................................... [41.360]

Occasional service providers ........................................................................ [41.380]

Overview of service models .......................................................................... [41.400]

[41.300] Introduction

There are considerable variations in the current models of service delivery, as outlined at [41.320]-[41400].

[41.320] The independent contractor

This model was unique to the United Kingdom, although it has been replicated in a number of its previous colonies and in some other countries. The title, "police surgeon", is used to describe forensic practitioners in some countries. ("Police surgeon" is a misnomer. These practitioners are rarely surgeons and almost never police officers.) In the United Kingdom, the titles "forensic medical examiner" and "forensic physician" have replaced the title "police surgeon". The doctor's status in this service is described as "employed by commercial companies to provide medical care to detainees, or self-employed, independent and individually appointed (usually contracted) to provide services to relevant police authorities or appointed agencies responsible for the provision of clinical forensic services": Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine website, http://www.fflm.ac.uk.

In the United Kingdom, a...