We are extremely disappointed and concerned by the decision to reduce the Personal Injury Discount Rate so significantly. This decision will increase the cost of settling future loss claims against our members at a time when the cost of clinical negligence is already at a worryingly high level.
The government has committed to making appropriate funding available to meet the additional cost to GPs, and this commitment was recently reaffirmed by Health Minister David Mowat. We have held a series of meetings with the Department of Health to discuss the scope of the support they will make available, and we are making it absolutely clear that GPs should not have to shoulder the extra financial burden caused by the Lord Chancellor’s decision, in their membership subscriptions.
We have also initiated similar discussions in Wales and Scotland.
We have not yet made any changes to membership subscriptions for GPs to reflect the reduction in the Personal Injury Discount Rate - any changes to subscriptions are dependent on the outcome of our discussions with the Department of Health and the scope of the support they will make available.
Medical Protection is also responding to the government’s consultation and will strongly argue on members’ behalf that in future the rate should be set based on a more common-sense approach, and one that considers the potential impact on the NHS, the public purse and the affordability of professional protection for doctors. It is important that we get this right if we are to avoid further sudden shocks such as this in the future. We believe the case for a whole package of legal reforms to tackle the spiralling cost of clinical negligence is becoming ever more pressing.
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Please note: Medical Protection does not maintain this article and therefore the advice given may be incorrect or out of date, and may not constitute a definitive or complete statement of the legal, regulatory and/or clinical environment. MPS accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the advice given, in particular where the legal, regulatory and/or clinical environment has changed. Articles are not intended to constitute advice in any specific situation, and if you are a member you should contact Medical Protection for tailored advice. All implied warranties and conditions are excluded, to the maximum extent permitted by law.