QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Medical Protection is committed to ensuring that your subscription rate is reflective of the work you carry out. Read more 

Your membership offers comprehensive protection through advice, support and assistance with clinical negligence claims*, Medical Council matters, support with complaints, disciplinary proceedings, inquests and criminal investigations arising from clinical practice, 24/7 medicolegal advice, risk prevention, CPD and more.

Find out more about your benefits 

*for private practice members

At Medical Protection we understand the vital role that humanitarian care plays worldwide, especially in times of crisis. That is why humanitarian protection is something we’ve offered for many years.

You can request protection for humanitarian work if…
• Your membership is current
• You have been in membership for a minimum of 6 months
• You are working for a recognised charity or humanitarian organisation
• You contact Medical Protection before you intend to travel
• You have met all of the destination country’s professional criteria
• Your intended work excludes the management of pregnancies 

In addition, you can request the benefit of membership relating to humanitarian work for up to 6 months in any 12-month membership period. This can be applied to shorter periods of travel, or for a single 6-month period.


Other things medical volunteers need to know

As a volunteer, you are always responsible for checking that you understand and follow the laws and regulations of the country where you will be volunteering, including any requirements for work permits or visas. You also need to understand and follow any professional obligations such as registration or licensing, and the rules about the type of indemnity you are required to have.

Members who have met all of a country’s professional criteria can request assistance from us. However, this is only available for matters brought within the member’s home territory.

The benefits of membership (including the right to request indemnity) do not extend to any matters arising from the management of a pregnancy under humanitarian care.

If you would like any further details about the humanitarian protection that we provide, please contact the Member Services team for more information.

We actively encourage members to contact us for advice to provide peace of mind and to help prevent a concern or problem escalating. Medical Protection does not use the number of requests for advice as part of its risk assessment of a member.

This includes determining their membership subscription. In exceptional cases, where a request for advice involves facts or circumstances of a highly unusual or unique nature it might trigger a general review of an individual’s risk profile.

However, we stress that this would be very unusual. So, if you want to discuss a medico-legal issue or need advice on how to prevent a concern or problem escalating, please do let us know - we are only a phone call away.

For over 125 years we have focused exclusively on protecting healthcare professionals against allegations of clinical negligence, and have unparalleled insight into the risks you face over the span of your career, and beyond. We believe you should have a protection product that meets your full requirements in the long-term as well as the short-term. With our occurrence-based protection, there are no limits to the indemnity we can provide*, no excesses to pay and no need to make additional indemnity arrangements when you retire, end membership or cease practice. You should check the availability and affordability of run-off cover when comparing the costs of any insurance policy versus Medical Protection membership. Your membership is backed by the power of discretion, which means there are no small print or exclusions to worry about. Discretion allows us to respond to changes in medicine and the medicolegal environment, assisting members with emerging problems that may not have been foreseen at the time you took up membership.

*Indemnity limits apply to members in high-risk paediatrics and obstetrics. 

GPs who have full Medical Protection membership can request indemnity for tongue-tie division if:

• they have appropriate training and experience
• patients/parents are properly informed of the procedure, this includes the risks as well as potential complications, and consent has been obtained before proceeding
• it is performed in an appropriate setting. Procedures not carried out in clinical premises must be undertaken in a safe environment with adequate and appropriate facilities.

Those who are on obstetrics/gynaecology, paediatric and GPs on their current grade can request indemnity for undertaking the Harmony prenatal test provided members ensure:

• patients are adequately counselled and consented
• patients are appropriately followed up
• full records are maintained (including records of the counselling and consent, as well as follow up arrangements).

Yes. In the unlikely event that you are sued as a result of a Good Samaritan act, you can apply for assistance from Medical Protection, no matter where in the world the action is brought.

 

Medical Protection defines a Good Samaritan act as one in which medical assistance is given, free of charge, in a bona fide medical emergency upon which you may chance, in a personal as opposed to a professional capacity, eg, assisting a fellow spectator at an event.

For doctors, ignoring such a predicament is never an option. When called into action while off duty, you must remember to make a full clinical record after treatment.

You must assess your own competence in handling the situation – eg, you may be under the influence of alcohol – and proceed accordingly.

Only intervene if the situation is an emergency. Any situation that is beyond your competence may still benefit from your input, to a degree. For example, you can use your clinical skills to take a history, make an examination to reach a preliminary assessment, and give an indication of the likely differential diagnosis. You can also suggest options for the management of the situation pending arrival of support. 

We consider that a response to the GoodSAM App, provided it is in accordance with the GoodSAM App code of conduct, falls within our definition of a Good Samaritan Act.

Students can apply online for free MPS membership. All other doctors can access application forms from the Join MPS section of the website (see the "Join" button at the top of the page). Please ensure you read the important information at the bottom of the page before completing the application and returning it to the address shown at the top of the form.

The application must be completed in full and signed and dated within two months of your required membership start date.

Your application can be submitted by post, fax or email.

MPS is the world’s leading medical defence organisation, putting members first by providing professional support and expert medicolegal advice throughout their careers. We have more than 300,000 members worldwide. 

MPS has been helping doctors who find themselves in medicolegal difficulties since 1892. We are here to help and support members when they need it. We work only for the benefit of our members, and have no external commercial or shareholder interests to distract us.

A recent survey of our members provided the following feedback:

“I have contacted MPS on a number of occasions for general advice and have always been very impressed by the services I received.”

“Very quick responses, clear advice and guidance, a sympathetic ear.”

“Speedy, efficient, courteous, knowledgeable – I have always been impressed by the MPS and my latest enquiry only strengthened my good opinion.”

Members who retire, take a career break or who otherwise stop practising medicine voluntarily - either temporarily or permanently (excluding holidays), can request to retain Medical Protection membership in the retired/deferred category.

As a retired or deferred member with occurrence-based protection, you pay no subscription, still receive the Medical Protection journal, Casebook, and our Annual Report and Accounts, and can apply for Medical Protection assistance with any medicolegal problems arising from a “Good Samaritan act”.

However, if you decide to leave Medical Protection, then you will not be entitled to any assistance in relation to a Good Samaritan act if the incident occurs after your membership has ended. You must also inform us before you resume practice, so that we can ensure you are placed in the correct category of membership.

Members with claims-made protection should contact us to find out how a break will affect their membership.

No. While we believe education to be an appropriate use of (a small part of) members’ subscriptions, we do not believe that the majority of members would agree that reimbursement of other members’ travel expenses would be a good way to use their funds.

MPS does not pay for car parking. However, the venue where the workshop is being held may charge a car parking fee to use their car park (if available). This is at the discretion of the venue so we advise you to check before you travel.

If you believe you are going to be late, we would recommend that you register on another date. The introduction to the workshop is important for the messages later. Most colleges require proof from us that you have attended the complete workshop and may take into consideration any discrepancies between attendance-register records and time claimed.

The course materials are only an addition to the workshop and not a replacement for it. They do not contain the videos, the exercises or the speaker’s notes that are vital parts of the workshop. Therefore, we do not provide workshop material to people who do not attend.

The course materials are only an addition to the workshop and not a replacement for it. They do not contain the videos, the exercises or the speaker’s notes that are vital parts of the workshop. Therefore, the workshop material is not available online. 

We know that it can be difficult for some members to attend workshops. This is why MPS has launched Prism, an online e-learning resource for members. You can access it by clicking here.

Sorry, no. We copyright our materials as we believe that intensive training is required to be able to fully explain the concepts contained within. Presenters undergo a four-day residential training session to get to that point. However, we would be delighted to run the workshop within your organisation.

No, places are limited and it is not possible for the workshop presenters to cater for members who do not book a place in advance.

Your letter may have been delayed in the post. There are limited spaces available for each workshop and because the workshops are well received they can fill within a very short time. Most people go online to make bookings and, especially over weekends, this often means that they take the spaces first.