Articles and features 29/08/2017 Getting to grips with fit notes Preview Article Getting to grips with fit notes Time to read article: 6 mins Close Preview A common question in general practice: “Ms P’s fit note runs out on Monday – can you do her another one?” Your answer should be considered carefully as the following case illustrates, explains Dr Rachel Birch, GP and medicolegal adviser at MPS Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... General practice Practice Matters
Casebook 29/08/2017 Opinion: Getting the best out of online reviews Preview Article Opinion: Getting the best out of online reviews Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Dr Neil Bacon, founder of www.iwantgreatcare.org, discusses how to maximise the potential of patient feedback. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Patients Generic Medicine Reputation management
Casebook 29/08/2017 An inconvenient truth Preview Article An inconvenient truth Time to read article: 5 mins Close Preview Over half of respondents to an MPS survey admitted to regret over their failure to raise concerns in the workplace. Gareth Gillespie looks at how obstacles to whistleblowing can be overcome. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing clinical risk Whistleblowing Issues & conflict management Casebook
Casebook 29/08/2017 The worst of times Preview Article The worst of times Time to read article: 6 mins Close Preview Unemployment reduces wellbeing. Recession raises the demands on healthcare systems and makes it harder to pay for them. Doctors worldwide are having to adapt and change to cope with these additional pressures, says Sarah Whitehouse Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Casebook Patients Professionalism Managing clinical risk
25/08/2017 Complaints culture Preview Article Complaints culture Time to read article: 6 mins Close Preview Complaints to the regulator against doctors have hit a record high, rising more sharply than for any other health professional. Is this down to poor practice or a changing complaints culture? Sara Williams investigates Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Medicine Managing clinical risk Compliance Complaints
25/08/2017 Introduction Preview Article Introduction Close Preview Consent is a fundamental principle of medical law. The basic rule is simple: no-one has the right to touch anyone else without lawful excuse and if doctors do so it may well undermine patients’ trust. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Competence Professionalism Managing clinical risk Prescribing General Surgery
Articles and features 25/08/2017 Day in the life of… Dr Pixie McKenna Preview Article Day in the life of… Dr Pixie McKenna Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview I wake up bolt upright at 5.30am. I look in the mirror and realise I’ve inadvertently left my false eyelashes on from the previous day’s telly. They hang rather precariously from my upper lids – my mascara is half way down my cheeks and my hair is doing a good impersonation of Jedward. My husband rolls over and states that I look like a drag queen and promptly falls back to sleep. Read more Article contains Video Tagged in... Practice Matters Career planning Generic Medicine Professionalism
Articles and features 25/08/2017 General confidentiality principles as advised by medical defence orga... Preview Article General confidentiality principles as advised by medical defence organisations Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview All doctors know that maintaining confidentiality is an important part of building up trust with patients. Here, Dr Stephanie Bown examines the medicolegal aspects of confidentiality Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Confidentiality Communication Data Protection
News and updates 01/08/2017 Provision of medicolegal reports/acting as a medicolegal expert Preview Article Provision of medicolegal reports/acting as a medicolegal expert Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview If you are a doctor and want to practise medicine in the UK, you need to hold GMC registration with a licence to practise. Given this requirement, we have carefully considered the appropriate criteria we require of members who produce medicolegal reports and/or act as a medicolegal expert. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Medicine Expert Reports
Factsheet 06/07/2017 Duty of candour for GPs and dental practitioners - England Preview Article Duty of candour for GPs and dental practitioners - England Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview The duty, which was introduced by the government through regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, applies to NHS organisations such as trusts and foundation trusts, to secondary care clinicians, and to bodies including GP practices, dental practices and care homes. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Communication England Ethics Compliance
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 An essential guide to clinical management Preview Article An essential guide to clinical management Time to read article: 7 mins Close Preview This Essential Guide to Clinical Management was produced as a resource for Medical Protection members in the UK. It is intended as general guidance only. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Prescribing General practice Managing clinical risk Generic Medicine
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 Handling the Media (UK) Preview Article Handling the Media (UK) Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Media scrutiny of you and your practice of medicine could put your personal and professional reputation at risk. The MPS Press Office is staffed by communications professionals experienced in dealing with the media. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Reputation management Professionalism
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 An essential guide to Consent Preview Article An essential guide to Consent Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Consent is a fundamental principle of medical law. The basic rule is simple: no-one has the right to touch anyone else without lawful excuse and if doctors do so it may well undermine patients’ trust. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing clinical risk Generic Medicine
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 An essential guide to medical records Preview Article An essential guide to medical records Time to read article: 7 mins Close Preview This Essential Guide was produced as a resource for Medical Protection members in the UK. It is intended as general guidance only. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing clinical risk Record keeping Use Guidelines Medical Records Patients
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 GP entry study guide Preview Article GP entry study guide Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview General Practice remains one of the most popular of all the specialties, with about a quarter of all candidates ranking it as their top choice, and more than half likely to apply for it as one of their choices for specialty training. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Record keeping Use Guidelines Patients Medical Records Managing clinical risk
Advice booklet 04/07/2017 Professionalism - A Medical Protection Guide Preview Article Professionalism - A Medical Protection Guide Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Welcome to Medical Protection’s guide to professionalism, a publication that takes a closer look at what it means to be a professional. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Professionalism Generic Medicine Ethics
04/07/2017 Chapter 1: Medical Professionalism - What do we mean? Preview Article Chapter 1: Medical Professionalism - What do we mean? Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview As a collective whole, doctors are regarded as “professionals” both by the public and by their peers. They remain the most trusted profession among the public, which has been the case for many years. Individually, some doctors may fall short of the mark. But what do we mean by professionalism? And how much bearing does this definition have on the behaviours expected of a doctor? Firstly, we need to be clear about exactly what a profession is. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing clinical risk Medical Records Patients Record keeping Use Guidelines
04/07/2017 Chapter 3: Professionalism - Great Expectations Preview Article Chapter 3: Professionalism - Great Expectations Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Today’s doctors are working in a constantly evolving environment, where many of the old expectations regarding the role of doctors, nurses and patients are being replaced by new ones. The roles themselves are changing – doctors are clinicians, leaders, teachers, managers, commissioners and purchasers of services. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Professionalism Generic Medicine Ethics
04/07/2017 Professional expectations Preview Article Professional expectations Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Any doctor who specialises in a particular field would be expected to keep up-todate in that area. This would apply to all fields of medicine. Surgeons with a special interest would be expected to keep up-to-date with developments both in the field of general surgery and their area of special interest. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... General Surgery Ethics Competence Professionalism Generic Medicine
04/07/2017 Contrasting patient experiences of their GP Preview Article Contrasting patient experiences of their GP Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Patient A: I’ve got a very good GP now, I have got a GP who actually knows what fibromyalgia is, he’s prepared just to sit and listen, he listens a lot, he’ll let me try new medications, obviously because of my science background I probably know more about fibromyalgia than he does because I read so much in research papers, but he’s very willing to let me be a guinea pig and to work with me, which I think is important with a doctor/patient relationship, you’ve got to work on this path of chronic pain together. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Professionalism Patients Geriatric Medicine
04/07/2017 Fitness to Practice (FTP) procedures Preview Article Fitness to Practice (FTP) procedures Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Sometimes, when an adverse incident occurs, the GMC can take action if a doctor’s fitness to practise is called into question, which could be due to: Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Issues & conflict management Reputation management Investigations Generic Medicine Professionalism
04/07/2017 The GMC's expectations on health Preview Article The GMC's expectations on health Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview It is one of the great ironies that healthcare professionals are, generally, poor at taking care of their own health. Yet it is one of the core set of guidelines in Good Medical Practice that you have a responsibility to look after your health - if not for your own sake, then at least for your patients. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Professionalism Use Guidelines Issues & conflict management Generic Medicine
04/07/2017 The GMC's expectations on probity Preview Article The GMC's expectations on probity Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Honesty and integrity are central to probity and define how any professional person should act: being upstanding and law-abiding, and respectful of the trust placed in you by others. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Use Guidelines Professionalism Generic Medicine Managing clinical risk
04/07/2017 The GMC's expectations on relationships with patients Preview Article The GMC's expectations on relationships with patients Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Around 7% of allegations heard at fitness-to-practise hearings in 2011 were with regards to relationships with patients. As a doctor’s profession is defined by the duty of care to patients, it follows that standards of professionalism are entwined with the strength of the relationship between doctor and patient. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Patients Ethics Confidentiality Generic Medicine Professionalism