The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is a mutual society that provides advice to doctors facing legal problems that arise from their clinical practice.

MPS is the largest such society in the world operating internationally, with more than 245,000 members. The Medical Protection Society operates in a number of countries - the major ones being the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Medical Protection Society is not an insurance company and does not provide insurance cover for healthcare professionals. Instead, doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals become members of the organisation. They are then able to apply to the Medical Protection Society for help with a particular problem.

As a mutual society MPS provides membership benefits on a discretionary basis. This is a positive feature, permitting a flexibility that is not found in insurance policies. Members have no insurance policy or contract of insurance - the relationship between the Medical Protection Society and its membership is based on the constitution of MPS. This sets out in general terms the reasons why the Medical Protection Society was established. This is essentially to protect and support members in their professional practice. It also sets out the way in which requests for help are considered.

The MPS Council, mainly consisting of medical and dental practitioners, controls the way that discretion is exercised, and the kind of help that can be offered to members on behalf of the membership. Fellow healthcare professionals therefore decide whether or not to help individual members. They understand how the profession works, and apply established criteria that have been developed through our long experience. This enables the Medical Protection Society to exercise its discretion fairly and consistently but with a bias to assist.

For more than a hundred years, MPS has operated successfully in this way - a mutual organisation where fellow professionals use their judgment to provide a flexible range of benefits that meet the evolving needs of members.

Further information about MPS.