NOTICE BOARD


MDDUS sees sustained growth in 2014


MDDUS saw a 9.4 per cent increase in total active membership in 2014 and as of mid-June 2015 that number was just short of 40,000. These figures are reported in the MDDUS Annual Report and Accounts now published at mddus.com in advance of the Union’s AGM in September. GP membership in 2014 increased by


10.8 per cent overall and by 16 per cent outside Scotland, with our share of the all-UK GP market now standing at over 23 per cent. Membership among hospital doctors also increased by 6.9 per cent. Dental membership in Scotland remained


stable in 2014 but we saw exceptional growth in the rest of the UK with numbers increasing by 25 per cent. It is likely that English dental membership will overtake Scottish in the course of 2015. This sustained growth is built on a firm commitment to quality, says CEO Chris Kenny. “Throughout the year MDDUS has continued to offer the personalised, rapid and flexible service on which we have built our reputation in medico- and dento-legal advisory work, support for members in legal proceedings and day-to-day handling of subscriptions and queries.” Our Medical Advisory team handled over 9,600 telephone calls for advice in


● BOOK NOW FOR PM CONFERENCE The popular MDDUS Practice Managers’ Conference will be held this year at the Fairmont Hotel in St Andrews on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November. Delegates attending the


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2014, an increase of 13 per cent from 2013, and were pleased to report that 87 per cent were answered at first contact by a trained adviser able to deal with the enquiry. The Dental Advisory team dealt with 2,261 advice calls in 2014, also a 13 per cent increase over the previous year. Calls to our Membership Department also increased in 2014, with the team handling over 37,000 telephone contacts and responding to these within 10 seconds on average. Growth in active membership of MDDUS – along with what seems an increasingly litigious medico-legal environment – led to a significant rise in the number of claims for clinical negligence against members in 2014. The number of claims intimated against medical and dental members across the UK increased by 17.9 per cent over the previous year. This overall increase reflected a 21.9 per cent rise in claims notified against GPs, and an 18.8 per cent rise in claims notified against GDPs and hospital dentists. But on the plus side we can report that MDDUS managed to successfully conclude over 75 per cent of claims without any payment as a three-year average to 2014. We have also seen an increase in the number of members subject to investigation by their regulatory body in 2014, and this trend was particularly marked in relation to GDC investigations, with a 37 per cent increase in case numbers on the previous year.


Wales and NI


Indemnity for nurses in general practice in England,


MDDUS is changing the way that we provide indemnity for some nurses and other clinical employees in general practice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The changes will provide greater certainty for employed nurses, whilst ensuring subscriptions are fairer for all members. We have launched an Associate Membership category for nurses employed within an MDDUS Discount Practice Scheme (DPS). This membership will ensure that nurses have access to the required professional indemnity for any


conference can enjoy interactive workshops covering a broad range of topics and also screening of the third instalment of our film series, Bleak Practice, which promises an entertaining way to learn key risk lessons in general practice. Places


claim that arises from work undertaken in the normal course of duties within the MDDUS practice. As a result, from the date of members’ next renewal, MDDUS will no longer consider providing indemnity for GPs’ vicarious liability for nurse practitioners (including nurse prescribers), advanced nurse practitioners or other clinical staff who undertake similar roles. Practices are able to include within a


DPS scheme, at no additional cost, one nurse practitioner or advanced nurse practitioner for each GP member. Additional nurse practitioners and advanced nurse practitioners may be included upon payment of the appropriate subscription. Practice nurses: practice nurses


will now be named within the Discount Practice Scheme and GP partners remain able to seek indemnity for their share of any liability that might arise from their employment within the practice. Practice nurses will be provided with a confirmatory certificate. Other staff: GP partners who are members of MDDUS remain entitled to seek indemnity in respect of their share of liability for healthcare assistants, phlebotomists, dispensers and non-clinical reception and administrative staff employed by them within the practice. GPs employing staff not listed above should refer to our website. Full details and an online application


are limited so contact the Risk Management team now to book your place (risk@mddus.com). ● NEW RISK VIDEOS ON CONSENT Issues around consent are the focus of the latest online video presentations from MDDUS


Risk Management. In two modules the risk team covers basic concepts of patient consent before taking a closer look at capacity to consent in both adults and children. The videos are available in the Risk Management eLearning Centre


SUMMONS


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