Patient Safety

Patient safety is the very cornerstone of the work undertaken by the Medical Protection Society.

MPS is the leading provider of comprehensive professional indemnity and expert advice to doctors, dentists and medical professionals around the world, providing more than 260,000 members with medicolegal and ethical advice and support.

As a mutual, not-for-profit organisation, we believe that fairness is a critical aspect in modern healthcare systems and patient safety is very much part of that philosophy. We believe that patients who have been harmed as a result of medical care should be compensated and that medical professionals should have access to expert support and guidance to help them provide the best possible standards of care.

MPS’s commitment to improving patient safety begins at the earliest possible stages of medical training. Our work with medical students, which includes having representatives and medicolegal advisers based at all of the major UK medical schools, means that we can introduce our values and the importance of understanding medicolegal and ethical issues to healthcare professionals at the earliest possible opportunity.

MPS members also have access to subsidised books, medical materials and training courses, based on the wide-ranging experience and a practical understanding of the environment in which members practise, which further enforces the importance of patient safety throughout all aspects of medical care.

Working together to improve patient safety

The Medical Protection Society’s commitment to patient safety is typified by our support of general practices in implementing comprehensive review and assessment procedures to highlight potential risks to patient safety.

These reviews, known as Clinical Risk Self-Assessments (CRSAs), bring together all members of the practice team including GPs, nurses, management, receptionists and therapists and encourage the free and open discussion of problems, concerns and solutions in order to promote improved patient safety.
This collective approach means that the voice of every member is heard and that all possible concerns regarding patient safety are discussed, assessed and where possible, solutions sought.

MPS members also benefit from access to expert guidance and support from medical professionals on medicolegal and ethical matters. Our advisers, all doctors with legal training, can offer guidance on all aspects of medical practice to ensure that patient safety is not compromised. Our commitment to patient safety also sees us working closely with the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council to lobby for legal reforms and change to professional and national policy.

Find out more about the Medical Protection Society and our services.