Emergency services appreciation and another amazing Macmillan Coffee Morning 🍰

It can be easy to take emergency services personnel for granted. They’re always at the end of the phone, always there when you need them and, sometimes, they even appear from the sky! They are real-life superheroes, and we rely on them more than you might think.

In September, we recognised both Air Ambulance Week and Emergency Services Day (999 Day). As well as appreciating the life-saving work our first responders do, we want to shine a spotlight on the essential role they play in helping us achieve the best outcomes possible for our personal injury clients:

🚨 Police reports and records help us to paint an accurate picture of incidents, such as road traffic accidents or violent crime.

🚨 Sometimes, we use accident reconstruction experts who extract information held on file by emergency responders.

🚨 Accurate and detailed reports can be vital to help us establish liability in cases.

🚨 We may also rely on first responders as witnesses to provide essential on-the-ground information to support a client’s case.

As for the air ambulance service, here’s a quick recap of how our very own man in the sky (AKA Jacek Zawieracz) has led Optimal’s support for the North West Air Ambulance Charity over the years:

🪂 Skydived his way to raising £3,595 on behalf of the firm in 2020

🏃 Ran the Heaton Park 5K this year with a £1,000 donation from Optimal

Here’s to all the emergency services personnel who react to scenarios in real time, respond rapidly, and put themselves in danger to help others every single day. We salute you!

Legal briefing 

Optimal’s latest specialist solicitor appointment covered in The Law Society Gazette

Maria Farrell joins Optimal as a clinical negligence and serious injury solicitor, with 25 years’ experience and an unwavering commitment to client care behind her. Maria told the Gazette: “I’m really excited to join Optimal Solicitors for the next chapter of my career. From decades in the legal sector, I can say that it is easy to talk about delivering good client care. What stood out to me about Optimal Solicitors is that the firm consistently prioritises it, from the team they’ve built to the customer journey they’ve crafted.” Read more here.

Legal costs aren’t the real problem behind clinical negligence compensation costs

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) found that clinical negligence claims and legal costs accounted for 1.6% of NHS England’s annual budget for 2025/26, down from 1.9% in 2019/20. APIL’s report told MPs that while there is no quick-fix solution to achieve significant savings in NHS clinical negligence compensation costs, legal costs are not the real problem. Instead, the focus should be on avoidable harm. As APIL explains, if just 10 babies were spared catastrophic harm caused by NHS negligence, it would save the health service £112m. Read more here.

Royal College of Midwives say staffing levels key to improving maternity care

Maternal deaths are higher than they’ve ever been, and the recent 2026 MBRRACE-UK report identifies pressures on staffing and capacity as a key issue that may have affected care. The report recommends that governments across the UK review theatre and workforce capacity planning to keep pace with “increasing maternal complexity and clinical demand”. Read more here.

The Optimal pulse

• Keep an eye on socials for a video of our very own Edyta Sliwinska learning more about what it’s like to be a firefighter, from trying on the gear to understanding the diverse nature of calls they respond to.
• Optimal’s best bakers rolled up their sleeves as the team came together for another Macmillan Coffee Morning, raising an amazing £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Feast your eyes on the sumptuous sweet spread our team laid on, including a show-stopping Black Forest gâteau.
• We gave a warm welcome back to Clara Burns from her maternity leave! Over the last eight years, we have been proud to witness Clara’s journey from paralegal through to qualified solicitor in the Family Law team, and we’re thrilled to have her back on board.
• Goodbye summer! We’re signing off from the sunny season with this behind-the-scenes video of us drumming the day away at our summer party in July 🥁

Employee of the month

Congratulations to our September Employees of the Month – once again we have TWO!

Here’s what the team had to say about Jayne Linaker-Smith and Craig Fisher…

🗣️ “Jayne is very helpful and always has a smile on her face – she is a great colleague.”

🗣️ “Thank you for always helping and fixing my accounting errors!”

🗣️ “Jayne is just amazing – always willing to help, and always patient and friendly!”

🗣️ “Craig is a positive team leader who gave me a very warm welcome when I joined the business.”

🗣️ “He is always positive and helpful, and he gets the job done.”

🗣️ “An excellent team leader and a pleasure to work with!”

Our other nominees had some great comments too, and several had more than one nomination this month. Thanks all for everything you do – you are greatly appreciated!

• Weronika Kolodziejczak – Always lovely to chat to and ready to help her team members. Consistently demonstrates excellent customer service, is hardworking, and is a real pleasure to work with.
• Patrycja Delbowska – Settled into her new role very quickly and is always happy to help others. Reliable, responsible, and committed to her work, with a positive attitude and ability to deliver high-quality results.
• Jacek Zawieracz – Patient and always ready to help. Jacek is also very supportive, and the work he continues to put into the firm makes him an instrumental part of Optimal’s future.
• Chris Germaine – Very patient and always provides valuable advice on complicated personal injury cases.
• Kevin Walker – Always willing to help, shares his knowledge generously, and provides valuable support. Approachable, friendly, and great to talk to.
• Mark Thomason – Balances a number of teams and helps them all out whenever required.
• Ricky Jones – Helped roll out a new app that is fantastic and saves so much time. Ricky is always very helpful and a real asset to the business.
• Edyta Wilgucka-Skubisz – We received great feedback from a client about Edyta’s calls and her work on a matter while it was with the FRT. The client was especially appreciative of Edyta’s kindness, sympathy, and the time she took to explain everything clearly.
• Bethany Morris – Always there to help with any questions on specific cases or claims as a whole.
• Jakub Wisniewski – Communicates and works with others really well. Always easy to approach and makes collaboration simple and effective.
• Grzegorz Szalas – Always happy to help and there whenever needed. You can always count on him!
• Dagmara Maluszke – Always gives her best, works hard, and is always willing to help everyone in the team. It’s clear that she genuinely wants to support others and get things done.
• Weronika Bojarska – Always produces good-quality work and is willing to assist on files and with translations.

Work anniversaries

We’re delighted to be celebrating twice as many work anniversaries this September compared to last year 👏

With three reaching their first year and three topping up their growing tenures, a big congratulations goes out to…

🎉 Weronika Bojarska – 1 year

🎉 Jodie Keyworth – 1 year

🎉 Edyta Wilgucka-Skubisz – 1 year

🎉 Natalia Lewnau – 4 years

🎉 Jakub Wisniewski – 7 years

🎉 Grzegorz Szalas – 9 years

Thanks for the hard work and presence you bring to our incredible growing team 🤝

Blog – How Optimal Helped A Cyclist Secure £17,500 After A Road Traffic Accident

In Great Britain, around 16,000 cyclists a year are reported injured in road traffic accidents – and, often, through no fault of their own. This is where Optimal Solicitors can help, with specialist legal representation and empathetic support to get injured individuals back on their feet and achieve the compensation they deserve and the support they need for recovery. Discover how our expert case handler, Ryszarda Kozikowska, used her legal expertise and deep knowledge of case law to support our client through litigation to secure £17,500 in compensation and a path forward. Read the case study here.

Introducing… Ryszarda Kozikowska Dub

Ryszarda Kozikowska Dub is a Portal Case Handler in our Fast Track Personal Injury team, supporting clients through some of the most challenging moments of their lives with empathy, clarity, and determination.

After completing her legal studies in Poland, Ryszarda moved to the UK and initially joined Optimal Solicitors as a translator, helping Polish-speaking clients navigate the legal system in a language they could understand and trust. Her dedication to justice and natural ability to connect with clients quickly stood out, and she soon transitioned into handling claims herself. Now she works directly with individuals who have suffered injury and loss.

Ryszarda manages a wide range of personal injury compensation claims arising from road traffic accidents, workplace incidents, and accidents in public spaces. Regardless of the severity of the injury, she brings the same level of care and attention to each case, always ensuring that her clients’ voices are heard and their rights are protected.

Her approach is rooted in clear communication and human connection. Ryszarda is especially passionate about helping those who may feel overwhelmed by legal procedures or unsure of their entitlements, guiding them with patience and empathy so they can move forward with confidence. Whether it’s breaking down a complex legal document or standing firm in a negotiation, she is committed to doing what’s right for her clients.

Outside of work, Ryszarda remains an active and proud member of the Polish community in Lancaster. She regularly volunteers through local projects, including Polish language education and scouting, and enjoys expressing her creative side through handmade card-making – a craft that reflects her attention to detail and thoughtful approach.

“I desperately needed someone to listen”

Life after a serious injury can be frightening in so many ways. As well as dealing with the immediate physical and mental challenges, you may face uncertainty about what comes next. That’s where Optimal can help, with a first response team ready to listen and put you at ease with clear options for possible next steps, and empathetic support tailored to your unique circumstances. We aim to help you achieve an outcome that enables you to move forward in life without worrying about funding your recovery or accessing the rehabilitation you need.

Thank you to Sara for the kind words – we’re so glad we were able to help 🙏

First responders make a difference

From emergency services personnel to our onboarding specialists, first points of contact matter. When that initial support is delivered with empathy, efficiency, and professionalism, a foundation of trust is built. This level of care is what we at Optimal strive to deliver all the way through our clients’ journeys with us, from the very first touchpoint to well after the case has concluded.

To find out more about how we can support you, call our team today on 0161 250 7771 or complete our online contact form.