Denise Thomas, case manager at Medical Protection, shares a recent case relating to a disclosure to the DVLA without patient consent.

Dr Hendow works in Hull and is a member of Medical Protection. He was voted ‘GP of the Year’ in the coveted national General Practice Awards for 2018 for his innovative approach to making Hull and its residents healthier, and for establishing a number of clinics at his practice, based in the Bransholme Health Centre.

An obvious question to ask when people are unintentionally but avoidably harmed is: “why did things go wrong?” Professor Paul Bowie, Programme Director (Safety & Improvement) at NHS Education for Scotland, looks at how we can think differently about patient safety.

The BMA has recently updated their site with some medical indemnity guidance for GPs . Included in this guidance is their assertion that clinicians working in primary care will still need to retain their MDO membership.

The Government is surveying GP professionals in England to gain a clearer understanding of their needs ahead of the new state-backed scheme.

UPDATE: Eight months after the UK Government announced its intention to provide state-backed indemnity for GPs in England, we look at what we know about the planned scheme.

- when member benefits are much more than a ‘nice to have’. As a GP we know you’re facing constant pressure, with greater patient demands, increased regulatory control and the ever-looming risk of a complaint being made against you if something goes wrong. This is why we work hard to try and limit the stress that members face and support them wherever we can.

Back pain, paraplegia and a series of complaints – how Medical Protection helped at every step.

Mr S was a 60-year-old lorry driver. He was overweight and smoked, and couldn’t walk far because he suffered with pain in his calves. This became so severe that he attended the out-of-hours service that evening.

Baby T was eight weeks old when his mother brought him to his GP’s morning surgery.

When Mrs C, a keen golfer in her early 40s, began to experience constant pain in her lower back, she consulted a GP at her local surgery.

Our approach is to make considered decisions that protect the long term interests of GP members, rather than making rash decisions that could have a long-lasting and detrimental impact on members.

In the latest development regarding indemnity costs for GPs, the Government has announced its decision to develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs in England.

With the General Election now past, the Government needs to act swiftly and decisively to protect GPs from its decision to reduce the personal injury discount rate - a decision which has substantially pushed up the cost of settling large clinical negligence claims.