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Introducing… Membership Governance


Dr Peter Mackenzie, Head of Membership Governance at MPS, explains the services and support on offer to those members who face particularly tough times


M


edicine is an extremely demanding career. Consequently, it is easy to


encounter difficulties, whether it be through ill health, stress, falling behind with clinical skills and knowledge, or problems with communication. Most doctors will experience difficulties from time to time, but there are a few whose experience is more frequent than their colleagues. It is those members that MPS aims to work with to reduce their likelihood of future claims or complaints. Only a tiny percentage of MPS members find themselves in this situation and MPS’s Membership Governance (MG) Programme has been developed to support and help them to identify and address the causes, and thereby reduce their medicolegal risk. We are aware that there may be many factors beyond a member’s control that can lead to complaints or claims, so an important objective of the programme is to carry out a careful assessment before deciding whether someone might benefit from this initiative. Assisting so many members gives us a unique perspective on the frequency and types of medicolegal difficulties that doctors in different specialties encounter during the course of their career. A review would be recommended where a member is experiencing more medicolegal difficulties than we would generally expect. Our main concern is to identify underlying problems, if they exist, and then to work with the member concerned in order to address the root causes. In creating the MG Programme,


we applied the following principles: ■ Fairness, openness and transparency ■ Support and rehabilitation – not punishment


■ Accuracy and objectivity. The programme is based around a thorough assessment, performed by an experienced medicolegal adviser, of all cases opened in a member’s name over a ten-year period. Members are kept fully informed throughout the


process, and detailed communication about issues takes place at every stage. On agreement of the existence of risk factors, the MG team is able to assist these members (who pay an enhanced subscription) with individually tailored risk management


programmes. These may include: ■ Courses to improve clinical or interpersonal skills


■ A clinical risk self-assessment ■ Practice visits ■ A medical assessment (if health is an issue).


We always write to members before performing an assessment of their cases. At that stage, we provide a number of background information leaflets about the programme. If MG does contact you, please take the time to read all the information


we provide and remember that: ■ Our aim is to help you to reduce your future medicolegal risk


■ You can speak to, or meet, one of the MG team at any stage


■ We are keen to explain why we are writing to you


■ We provide support and detailed information throughout the process. MPS understands that contact from MG may create anxiety. It is important to stress that the programme is designed to be fair, objective and transparent in assessing medicolegal risk and to be rehabilitative, rather than punitive, in outcome.


The main MPS educational activities


that we recommend for members are: ■ Clinical Communication Programme (CCP) – a six- month intensive programme that centres on a three-day, weekend residential workshop focusing on communication and listening skills.


Experienced facilitators (all with clinical backgrounds) offer personalised, constructive feedback on recorded consultations provided by each participant before and after the workshop, and provide mentoring support by telephone throughout the six months to reinforce the skills learned at the workshop. They will help you develop your personal goals for improvement, and work towards achieving them.


■ Clinical Risk Self Assessment (CRSA) – a practice visit, undertaken by a clinical risk manager or educational consultants (who are GPs), providing an interactive assessment of practice protocols and activities intended to offer help, support and guidance to achieve a safer practice for patients and staff.


■ Mastering Your Risk workshop – a workshop including short lectures, reflective exercises, small group-facilitated discussions, group activities and skills rehearsal. In the next few editions of Casebook, we will look at which risks arise in different specialties.


Feedback from members in MG (who have been asked to undertake


with interventions): ■ “My practice would appreciate a visit by one of your advisers to seek knowledge from their experience and advice in relation to our general practice complaints.”


■ “You rather perceptively noted that the letter might create some anxiety.”


■ “This is a godsend. I have been looking for such a course (CCP) for ages. I’d be delighted to attend.”


If you would like more information to help you to better understand the programme, you can request a leaflet from MPS. To contact the Membership Governance department, please telephone 0845 605 4000 or email membership.governance@mps.org.uk


ARTICLE


UNITED KINGDOM CASEBOOK | VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2011 www.mps.org.uk


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