NOTICE BOARD


MDDUS response to Brexit MDDUS Chief Executive Chris Kenny has


commented on the referendum vote to leave the European Union. “MDDUS is monitoring the potential impact of the


referendum outcome closely. Our members’ needs do not change at all as a result of the vote. We’re still here to give you a professional, responsive and great value service. And that applies just as much to those members from other EU jurisdictions as it does to those coming from the four countries of the UK. “However, we face a tougher economic climate


going forward, which we will need to manage alongside the continued pressure on subscriptions from growing claims numbers and regulatory activity. We will continue to manage our resources carefully to protect the mutual fund and our services. We have the advantage of well-diversified resources, and the fact that we do operate only in the UK is also helpful. “We are continuing to work with both UK and


Scottish Government to press them to make sure that current initiatives do not undermine the business model of MDOs which have delivered the optimum protection for both patients and professionals alike in the long-term.”


NHS England pledges action on indemnity costs


NHS England has pledged funding to offset the rising cost of GP indemnity as part of new implementation plans set out in its General Practice Forward View. A new Indemnity Support Scheme will


be introduced in April 2017 providing a financial contribution to practices in England to alleviate “exposure to indemnity inflation in scheduled work”. NHS England will provide an additional payment to each practice based on calculated estimates of the average annual inflationary increase in indemnity costs faced by GPs. In its review on GP indemnity, NHS England states: “This amount will then be distributed amongst practices based on their list size, not on weighted capitation.” Payments will be made in April 2017


and April 2018, and the scheme will then be reviewed.


NHS England says that by basing


payments for practices on the list size, the scheme will include provision for the additional indemnity premiums faced by all GPs at the practice as well as partners. GP practices will be expected to provide an appropriate share of their payment to their salaried GPs and locum GPs. The review concludes that longer-term action is necessary to address the root causes of rising indemnity costs. It states that the Department of Health will begin an urgent piece of work to identity effective ways of addressing these causes and will continue with efforts to cap the amount legal firms can recover in clinical negligence cases. Following the announcement, MDDUS Chief Executive Chris Kenny commented:


“We welcome the fact that the government and NHS England have found the indemnity market to be efficient and competitive. They have not reached for naive solutions with unpredictable effects in the long-term and should not be tempted to do so in the future. “We welcome the measures to relieve immediate pressures. It is now vital to address causes, not just symptoms. So we urge the government to make rapid headway on the tort reform and recoverable costs agenda to build sustainability. “We will continue to work with the


profession and the NHS to ensure that indemnity keeps up-to-date with the needs of a changing service. We look forward to working actively with government and NHS England on the further actions detailed in the review.”


case of Mrs Roberts, a 51-year-old patient diagnosed with breast cancer. Each focuses on a specific development in the case: the initial complaint handling, SEA, a clinical negligence claim and GMC investigation – with commentary


AUTUMN 2016


and discussion. The podcasts can be accessed in the e-learning centre of the Risk Management section at mddus.com ● NEW GP IN YOUR PRACTICE? Please note that MDDUS Membership Services require a


minimum of 28 days’ notice for prospective members to apply for membership. To assess an application, we must request information from the GP’s existing indemnifier and responses can take as long as four weeks. We would


therefore advise new GPs in your practice to submit membership applications at least four weeks in advance. It is important that GPs maintain alternative indemnity arrangements until MDDUS membership is confirmed.


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