NOTICE BOARD


MDDUS purchases 1 Pemberton Row


MDDUS is pleased to announce that the Union has purchased the building housing our London offi ces at 1 Pemberton Row. The Union had been leasing space in the property and when the building was put on the market we took the opportunity to purchase it.


The


decision to purchase 1 Pemberton Row is in line with recent internal


discussion on the value of investing some of the funds we hold for members in property. Interest rates are very low at the moment and we felt that a better return might be achieved if some of the fund was in property. The purchase seemed an ideal opportunity not only to diversify our fund but also to own the building we currently occupy, saving on rental costs and providing us with space into which we might grow as time goes on. A company called MDDUS Property


Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of MDDUS, has been created to deal with the ownership aspects of the building. In practical terms, little will change in the short term. We have retained a management company to maintain the building on behalf of MDDUS and the other six tenants. Meanwhile at the MDDUS Glasgow headquarters, building and renovation work to expand our offi ces into the adjacent property at 167 Bath Street is now complete. The B-listed Georgian townhouse provides the Union much needed additional offi ce space for staff as well as extra meeting rooms for consultations and to accommodate our growing educational programme off ered by MDDUS Training and Consultancy services.


New online risk tool MDDUS has launched the fi rst module of a free interactive online risk


resource designed specifi cally for GPs, practice managers and practice staff . The e-Learning Risk Resource will highlight some of the most common areas of medico-legal risk in general practice and off er guidance and practical advice on achieving best practice. Each module will contain a series of multiple choice questions and scenarios designed to explore your knowledge of the topic, followed by more detailed explanations to illustrate each point. The fi rst module covers health records


and data protection, including dealing with subject access requests and


principles of the Data Protection Act. It should take around 15 minutes to complete and can be accessed now. Just go to the Training and Consultancy page on www.mddus.com and click on e-Learning Risk Resource. The next module on Consent will be available in October.


annual report & accounts 2011


Membership milestone MDDUS marked a signifi cant milestone in the fi nancial year 2011 when our total membership for the fi rst time exceeded 30,000. This is just one of the highlights of the Annual Report and Accounts 2011 which was


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The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland Protecting you since 1902


formally adopted by the Union at its AGM in September. Active membership grew by 5.8 per cent in 2011 with much of that growth among GPs practising outside of Scotland, showing a 10.4 per cent growth over the 2010 fi gures. Our total number of GPs across the UK now exceeds 10,000. Growth in membership predictably leads


to greater demands on service. In 2011 our medical advisory service dealt with over 10,000 individual member contacts including telephone calls, emails and letters – up 5.3 per cent over 2010 and 36


per cent higher than fi ve years ago. This growth can also be attributed to an increasing awareness among members that seeking advice at an early stage can often help prevent matters escalating into formal complaints and claims. Our membership department was also


kept busy in 2011 handling well over 20,000 contacts from members either by phone, email or post. In the fi rst six months of 2012 the team fi elded 6,275 calls with an average response time of 7.6 seconds. Access the MDDUS Annual Report and


Accounts 2011 at www.tinyurl. com/8syy4rx


GMC or GDC letter – don’t act alone


IF there is one thing that is likely to raise stress levels for doctors and dentists, it is the arrival of an offi cial letter from the GMC or GDC. There are various reasons why a


regulator might get in touch, but the one most likely to cause anxiety is notifi cation that a complaint has been made against you. Allegations may have been made


● MDDUS AT 2012 RCGP CONFERENCE MDDUS is proud to have been principal sponsor of the 2012 RCGP Annual National Conference. The event was held on October 3-6 at the SECC in Glasgow and the theme for this


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year was Global General Practice. The conference showcased the latest clinical and policy developments across the UK and brought together an impressive range of national and international speakers. MDDUS hosted two


sessions during the event and our conference stand was well attended by existing and prospective members. ● ASSESSING FRACTURE RISK IN ADULTS NICE has published guidance to help clinicians assess


patients who might be at risk of a fragility fracture and identify those likely to benefi t from preventative treatment. Each year in the UK over 300,000 people are seen in hospital because of fragility fractures, with the most common


SUMMONS


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