including the option to spread the subscription fee over 10 monthly payments at no extra cost (which the majority of members take advantage of). This also ensures continuity of renewal. Membership is provided on an annual basis and should you decide not to renew, please contact our Membership Services Department on 0333 043 0000 at least seven days prior to your renewal date. Once payment is taken, annual membership is deemed to have commenced and cannot ordinarily be cancelled. Failure to maintain direct debit payments may result in this facility being withdrawn.


GPs working in minor surgery


MDDUS recognises that GPs may undertake a range of relatively minor invasive procedures, such as contraceptive implant or coil fitting, joint injections, acupuncture or minor surgery for skin lesions and "lumps and bumps". We will extend the benefits of GP membership to include work as described above where it accounts for less than 50 per cent of a member’s clinical time and where it is provided to NHS patients. Members must ensure that they work within the limits of their competence and training, and that the time spent undertaking such work is included within the sessions declared to MDDUS for the purposes of calculating their subscription. Members undertaking more complex or specialist work, who are treating private patients or who are exceeding the 50 per cent limit set out above, should contact our Membership Services Department for a tailored quote.


Capping legal costs


MDDUS welcomes the announcement of a government consultation on capping excessive legal costs in clinical negligence claims. Responding to the launch of a Department


of Health consultation, Introducing Fixed Recoverable Costs in Lower Value Clinical Negligence Claims, MDDUS CEO Chris Kenny said: "We welcome this long-promised consultation on capping recoverable costs in clinical negligence cases. The proposals are thorough-going and capable of early implementation. MDDUS' experience in this field mirrors the published data from the National Health Service Litigation Authority, both as to


increasing claims frequency and the ratio of costs to damages. “It is by no means unusual for costs to


exceed damages by a very substantial degree, even if the claims are promptly settled with the minimum necessary investigation,” Kenny added. “This is due to the very considerable front-loading of legal cost by claimant lawyers before a claim is even intimated to the practitioner. "Money expended in compensating for clinical accidents should, as far as possible, find its way to the injured patient and not disproportionately to the lawyers supporting those patients’ claims. "The proposals will ensure far tighter management of costs at the level of the individual case, but it will have the right incentive effects in ensuring that strong cases are selected and prepared in the most cost-effective manner. That enhances, rather than subtracts from, access to justice. "MDDUS will continue


to work together with the Department of Health and NHS England to ensure early and successful change."


GDC reform


MDDUS believes patients and dentists will benefit if reform proposals from the General Dental Council are implemented swiftly, fairly and consistently. Following the launch of the GDC’s Shifting the balance: a better, fairer system of dental regulation, MDDUS chief executive Chris Kenny said: "The current dental complaints system is outdated and cumbersome. The often unjustified threat of regulatory action can destroy careers and reputations and lessen public confidence. That serves neither patient nor dentist. "So we welcome the ambitious and radical


plan from the GDC to shift the priority to upstream prevention from downstream punishment, to refocus fitness to practise work and to make the complaints process more transparent, consistent, fair and responsive. "We look forward to continuing to work with the GDC to develop momentum in implementation and to make sure that detailed processes and procedures match the scale of ambition." MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey


Craig added: “We support all steps that will make the complaints and regulatory processes less stressful for dentists and reduce the number of unjustified final hearings. “Early local action is key to defuse complaints. In our experience, patient complaints that are dealt with quickly and efficiently between the patient and the practice are far more likely to be resolved.”


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NEW MDDUS TELEPHONE NUMBERS Our new contact numbers make it easier for members to get in touch. Contact our main switchboard on 0333 043 4444 and our membership team on 0333 043 0000. These are charged at the same rate as normal local or national landline (‘01’ or ’02’) numbers.


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PRACTICE AND CORPORATE SCHEMES Members with Practice or Corporate Scheme membership should note that it is their responsibility to ensure that membership is being adequately maintained by a scheme administrator, such as the practice manager. Failure to maintain adequate cover, for example failing to inform us of a return to work following maternity or paternity leave, cannot normally be rectified retrospectively.


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BLEAK PRACTICE 4 The fourth episode in our popular video learning module Bleak Practice is now available. It follows on from the characters and events introduced in the first three modules – this time focusing on a new set of risks. A discussion guide is available and members can access the module in the Risk Management section at mddus.com. Verification for CPD available.


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MDDUS WEBINARS Check out our risk webinars which are delivered by in-house advisers and focus on areas of risk in everyday practice. Go to the Risk Management section at www.mddus.com for more details.


MDDUS INSIGHT / 5


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