Insurance Times Advent Calendar: Shirley Woolham

1. What was your insurance highlight of 2024?

This year, we have seen some sensible and pragmatic decisions impacting the legal and insurance sectors that have provided clarity, direction and enabled claims progression to benefit customers.

Notable highlights include the Supreme Court’s mixed injury ruling in March 2024 and the 0.75% adjustment to the personal injury discount rate, effective from January 2025.

On a personal note, being awarded Claims Partner of the Year at the Insurance Times Awards 2024 on 4 December was a standout moment.

Receiving industry recognition is incredibly rewarding and it reflects the hard work and ingenuity of our colleagues at Minster Law during what has been a transformative year.

2. What is your Christmas message for your insurance colleagues?

Be proud of your role in the insurance led personal injury sector.

Recent years have brought challenges, but they’ve also sparked a much needed transformation, reshaping the sector into one that truly delivers for customers in need.

Our work helps individuals find fair outcomes and vital support during difficult times. Each of us plays a meaningful part in restoring trust, professionalism and humanity to our sector.

As we close the year, take a moment to reflect on the positive impact you’ve had – it’s something worth celebrating.

3. What do you hope to find under the industry’s Christmas tree for 2025?

With the government opting to use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as a more accurate reflection of inflation in its recent adjustments to the whiplash tariff, it is now time for a long overdue review of the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) fixed costs.

There is an opportunity to move to a common, consistent approach and a commitment for more regular reviews to avoid the hiatus of the past 11 years – which was when the MoJ fixed costs were last reviewed.

I would also like to see customer outcomes firmly cemented as the ultimate measure of value and quality.

Meeting Consumer Duty regulations is the baseline, but embedding a customer first philosophy across every process and interaction must become the sector’s defining principle. It’s not enough to talk about putting customers first – we have a duty to deliver value and outcomes that reflect customers’ needs.

Lastly, we don’t yet have a date for the implementation of the new whiplash tariff, so clarity on this and an implementation as soon as possible in the new year would be welcomed.