Over 40,000 people have responded to HSE’s call for healthcare professionals from all disciplines who are not already working in the public health service, to register to be ‘on call for Ireland’ and help to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) - which supports more than 21,000 healthcare professionals in Ireland – has said it will support the effort by providing the appropriate protection free of charge should any issues arise as a result of their work during this period.
Simon Kayll, Medical Protection Society (MPS) Chief Executive, said:
“These are extremely challenging and unprecedented times for all healthcare professionals providing frontline services and advice to patients, and action to help strengthen the workforce is welcomed.
“MPS will play its part in that, by ensuring that retired doctors who are former MPS members and have been reinstated to the IMC register because they wish to support the Covid-19 response in a public hospital, receive automatic and free of charge MPS membership which will provide support with non-claims issues arising as a result of their work during this period, such as complaints and disciplinary matters. By working in a public hospital indemnity for clinical negligence claims will be provided by the state’s Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS).
“Dentists and private consultants who are already MPS members and wish to help in public hospitals can rest assured that their current MPS membership will continue to provide them with support with non-claims issues arising as a result of their work during this crisis, even if that work is considerably different from their usual clinical activity. Again, by working in a public hospital indemnity for clinical negligence claims will be provided by the CIS.
“For those retired practitioners who are former MPS members and returning to support primary care, support with non-claims issues will be provided by MPS free of charge. Protection against clinical negligence claims, for those GPs returning to the IMC register and volunteering their services to HSE during the Covid-19 emergency, will be covered by the CIS.
“During this time, GPs, consultants, dentists and other healthcare professionals should only perform tasks where they believe they have the skills and competence to do so.”
“MPS is here to support healthcare professionals and to ensure they can solely focus on treating patients during this difficult time.”
ENDS
For further information contact: [email protected] +44(0)7515 298791.
About MPS
The Medical Protection Society (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. With more than 16,000 members in Ireland our knowledge and experience of the medicolegal environment globally puts us in a strong position to advise and inform policy makers. Membership provides access to expert advice and support together with the right to request indemnity for complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations. MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.