Does anyone know of any case law about what can count? Client went abroad for treatment at a herbal clinic in Ghana.

(He didn't discuss it with his GP beforehand. He was away longer than intended - 18 weeks. Don't know how successful it was - he's home, and back on anti-inflammatories etc.)

I cannot find any definition of “medical treatment” in the regs and I’m not aware of any case law either. So, the term must be given its ordinary, everyday meaning. This could be much broader in modern society’s approach to such things.

The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary’s definition of “medical” reads “of medicine: requiring, supplying, medical not surgical treatment”. “Medicine” reads as “art of restoring and preserving health, esp. by means other than surgery; substance taken internally for this purpose”. “Treatment” reads as “(mode of) dealing with or behaving towards person or thing; esp. (method of) treating patient or disease”.

It can’t be too difficult to construct an argument from that, can it? Whether it succeeds or not is a different matter.

'Medical treatment' does not appear to be defined in the HB Regs, although 'medically approved' is (it means certified by a medical practitioner).

I noticed that 'medical treatment' has been defined in the ESA Regs as meaning 'medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment (including any course or diet or other regimen'.