Advocating on behalf of our IMG members
As a membership organisation, advocating for our members is at the heart of what we do at Medical Protection.
Our purpose is to protect members’ professional interests, and we recognise that many of our members face additional challenges in their professional lives. We are committed to campaigning for a level playing field for all members, so we continue to campaign on their behalf, trying to influence decision-makers in the following ways:
Raising awareness
We aim to act as a voice for members and the profession through the media and social media channels, and speaking at events and conferences.
Campaigning for change
We engage with policy-makers, politicians, and other stakeholders, such as healthcare organisations and regulators, to try to influence decisions that impact members’ careers.
Responding to consultations
We respond to public consultations on issues that affect members and the future of the profession.
Collaborating with other organisations
We join forces with other healthcare organisations by creating working groups, participating in events and conferences, and attending meetings to represent our members’ interests.
We recognise that healthcare workers who qualified outside the UK face very specific challenges and therefore need specific support. We aim to represent their interests as best we can, as we do for all members, while trying to understand these specific challenges. Here are some examples of our advocacy work that focuses on supporting overseas graduates:
Induction and support for IMGs
We are working to highlight the importance of better induction for doctors who join the UK and the role this can play in making them feel better supported, as well as reducing their medicolegal risk. We are working with NHS organisations and the GMC to improve induction programmes.
GMC referrals and hearing outcomes
It is a sad fact that overseas graduates are more than twice as likely to be referred to the regulator than their UK graduate colleagues. We are supporting efforts to reduce this disproportionate level of referrals. We are also investigating the disparity in outcome between doctors who have legal representation compared to those who do not, to highlight the importance of protection.
Expert witnesses
As part of our expert witness campaign, we are calling for a wider and more diverse pool of experts who are exploring the importance of diversity in this work.
NHS disciplinaries
It is well recognised that not all NHS Trusts implement the procedures set out in Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS) in the same way, and that doctors from different backgrounds are not always treated fairly. We aim to highlight reforms that would address this problem.