We understand that the current indemnity situation for GPs can be confusing and uncertain following the Government’s recent announcement that it is to develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs in England.

Read more

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.

Read more

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

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

This new workshop will provide you with a thorough understanding of the importance of medical records and aims to enhance your skills in making and keeping quality medical records.

Read more

Good medical records – whether electronic or handwritten – are essential for the continuity of care of your patients. They should be comprehensive enough to allow a colleague to carry on where you left off.

Read more

The new Complaints Handling Procedure places an emphasis on empowering all staff to resolve issues “on-the-spot” where they can. You also have to make sure you record all complaints, even those resolved efficiently. Sara Dawson explores all the changes below

Read more

Dr Aaron Madhok reflects on his time working in Africa

Read more

Poor communication between doctors lies at the heart of many complaints, claims and disciplinary actions. Dr Mark Dinwoodie, consultant in medical education, explains the importance of maintaining good relationships with colleagues and communicating effectively with other health professionals

Read more

Dr James Thorpe, Medicolegal Adviser at Medical Protection, reflects on a common issue where junior doctors are asked to perform roles outside their competence, in particular taking informed consent for surgical procedures and other invasive investigations

Read more

Dr Ben White, a Medical Protection Medicolegal Adviser, discusses the use of chaperones during intimate examinations

Read more

Foundation doctors are increasingly using social media and smartphone apps to communicate with each other and senior colleagues. While this has many advantages, there are pitfalls to consider. Dr James Thorpe, Medicolegal Adviser at Medical Protection, investigates.

Read more

The cost of clinical negligence claims is becoming unsustainable. MPS is leading a campaign to strike a balance between reasonable and affordable compensation.

Read more

Patients overtly coerced into undergoing treatment they do not want can rightly claim that their “consent” was not given freely and is therefore not valid. Cases of overt coercion are rare, but there are circumstances in which patients may feel that they have been covertly pushed into accepting treatment they would prefer not to have had. For example, in some circumstances patients may find it very difficult to say “No” to the proposed treatment, or to challenge the doctor’s assumption that they would have no objections to going ahead.

Read more

Learning From Events

With more than 300 million patients consulting with primary care teams annually it’s unfortunately inevitable that a proportion will suffer some form of unintentional harm, mostly of low to moderate severity. Research has suggested that around 1-2% of consultations in primary care are associated with an adverse event. The cost of harm – to patients, to those working in healthcare, and to productivity – is significant.

Read more