DR KEEN & NOWMEDICAL

Dr Keen is the principal of a company called NowMedical which is well-known to people working in the field of the law relating to homeless people. He and his company provide reports to local authorities on medical matters relating to the provision of housing to homeless applicants and others seeking housing assistance. In particular, those reports are frequently relied on by local authorities in decisions refusing assistance. This page aims to be a resource to disseminate information about Dr Keen and NowMedical so that those representing the homeless and housing applicants have a better understanding of their role and input.

THE WRONG TEST?

The courts have laid down a test as to whether a homeless applicant should be regarded as vulnerable, known as the Pereira test. Dr Keen and NowMedical apply a different test known as the “reasonable function” test. Its source is unknown. You can download an article I wrote for the Journal of Housing Law on this.

UPDATE THIS PAGE

If you have any information to add to this page, or if you think it can be improved or added to, please e-mail me.

ROLE OF DR KEEN AS EXPERT

The Court of Appeal considered Dr Keen’s role as an expert adviser to local authorities in Shala v Birmingham CC [2007] EWCA Civ 624, in particular explaining his limitations. You can download a briefing which I did on this case.

PARLIAMENT

Dr Ian Gibson MP has asked questions in Parliament about the use of NowMedical, as reported in Hansard.

ANDREW’S STORY

NowMedical get a mention in Andrew’s Story, a book by Brenda Prentice about her adopted son’s 20-year fight with pancreatitis.