Gross negligence manslaughter is a topical issue in healthcare, but cases against doctors are still comparatively rare. Dr John Jolly, head of member risk education and Dr Richard Stacey, head of policy and technical, look at a more common cause of criminal cases brought against members of Medical Protection: sexual assault.

The case of Dr Bawa-Garba and the resulting collision between the medical community and the criminal justice system, sent shockwaves around the world. Dr Richard Stacey, head of policy and technical at Medical Protection, analyses criminal cases handled by MPS in 2017 to gauge the likelihood of further charges of gross negligence manslaughter.

Mr X, a 25-year-old fit and active man, was reviewed by his GP, Dr A, with a recurrence of lower back pain. He had noticed lumbar back pain intermittently throughout his 20s, but played a lot of sports to which he attributed his symptoms.

Ms Q, 58 years old, consulted Dr G, a gastroenterologist, with a history of dyspepsia, early satiety and altered bowel habit. Clinical examination, including digital rectal examination, was recorded as normal...

Mr A, an orthopaedic surgeon, was approached by a claimant’s solicitors to provide an expert report on behalf of their client.

Mrs R was a receptionist in a local estate agent’s office. One evening, she noticed that her 11-year-old son, Y, was limping as he walked towards her in the kitchen. Y was overweight and had been grumbling to his mother about his left knee hurting intermittently for the previous month.

A baby was born by caesarean section at 27 weeks gestation with a birth weight of 980grams. The baby was intubated, ventilated and endotracheal surfactant was administered.

Mr S was a 35-year-old taxi driver who was visiting his extended family abroad. While he was there he decided to have a routine health check in a private clinic. He told the doctor in the health clinic that he had noticed some rectal bleeding over the previous four months.

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.

A clinical negligence claim is a demand for financial compensation for alleged harm caused by substandard clinical care. Common reasons for claims include failure or delay in diagnosis, or incorrect treatment. In fact, many claims arise out of poor communication. This factsheet outlines the main stages in the legal process of a claim and what it means for you. If you receive a complaint, and this is not being dealt with by your NHS or other employer, you should contact MPS immediately.

Mr J was 43 and unemployed. He developed headaches and complained that sunshine hurt his eyes and he was bothered by noise. He made an appointment with his GP, Dr A, explaining that he had tried over-the-counter painkillers but that they did not help when he had one of his pounding headaches. Dr A documented Mr J had presented with headaches with some features of migraine and prescribed some tramadol...