A change to our claims-made protection

Obstetricians with claims-made protection have told us that they want greater certainty over their options for protection once they retire. We listened to their concerns and are pleased to say that we can now offer them the certainty they want.

Previously, we were only able to offer the extended reporting benefits (ERBs) element of the product in blocks of five years at retirement. Now, when an obstetric member with claims-made protections retires, they have the opportunity to make a single payment for ERBs which covers the whole of their retirement.

ERBs enable a member to request our assistance and report adverse incidents that occurred during their membership, but that they only become aware of once their membership with claims-made protection has ended. By offering ERBs for the whole of the retirement, we hope members will be reassured that they can continue to benefit from the same high quality support and advice that they have always received from us.

Changes to indemnity arrangements for public healthcare sector members

You may be aware that Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) decided to introduce a new scheme for the provision of indemnity for public sector healthcare professionals.

We know that some members affected by this change would like to continue their membership with us, and they are welcome to - although this would be in addition to the new arrangements being put in place by MOHH.

We have introduced a new Non-Claims Protection package which is a great option for all members who want to stay with us.

Our non-claims protection membership provides access to:

• Highly specialist medicolegal advice and support when you need it most, focusing on you and your interests
• Impartial expertise from a fellow doctor with medicolegal qualifications and experience who understands the challenges you face
• Free support throughout your career with world-leading risk management resources and events.

This means that you can still request assistance with any matters arising from your professional practice – except for clinical negligence claims – such as:

• help with writing reports
• responding to complaints
• advice on ethical dilemmas including consent and confidentiality
• assistance with disciplinary enquiries
• inquests
• criminal matters arising from professional practice
• SMC investigations and disciplinary proceedings.  

We also have a Full Membership option, which is open to most members, depending upon their specialty.

This option offers all the benefits of our Non-Claims Protection membership, but also includes the right to request assistance will clinical negligence claims.

If you would like to continue your membership with Medical Protection please contact the SMA directly on 800 616 7055 or by email [email protected] to discuss your renewal options.