Explore resources to help you manage your practice and support your team, including making the most of the services available to you with a Medical Protection group scheme.
The role of Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs) is to support and represent a person who lacks capacity in making a specific decision, and who has no-one (other than paid carers) to support them. This factsheet sets out further information about IMCAs and the role they play.
Providing access to medical records is essentially a confidentiality issue; therefore, the starting point is whether or not the patient has consented to disclosure. If not, access should be denied, unless there is some other clear justification for allowing access.
MPS reveals 'Melanoma blackspot' – 94% of claims lie with GPs
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More than 9 in 10 claims over delayed diagnosis of melanoma involve GPs, according to figures released by the Medical Protection Society (MPS)* today in its Your Practice magazine.
Patient experience is the smoke detector of patient safety
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Modern day healthcare has taken on a patient-led agenda; with the NHS ‘friends and family test’ to be introduced from April 2013, patient feedback being an integral part of the revalidation of doctors and the NHS mandate’s focus on ensuring patients have a positive experience of care.
One in ten cancer claims relate to breast cancer - MPS reminder for doctors to be vigilant
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Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer-related clinical negligence claim against GPs – making up one in ten cancer claims – according to the Medical Protection Society (MPS).
Cosmetic interventions review highlights importance of managing patient expectations, say MPS
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Identifying whether a patient’s expectations are realistic and ensuring they give valid consent to the intended surgery are essential steps prior to a cosmetic procedure, says the Medical Protection Society (MPS) in response to the Department of Health’s Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions
Recall of typhoid vaccine highlights the importance of documentation
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The recent recall of a typhoid vaccine because it may not offer full protection, highlights the importance of health professionals accurately recording details of vaccines and batch numbers, says the Medical Protection Society (MPS).
Conference helps surgical trainees get to grips with ethical issues
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More than 100 surgeons in training attended the joint Medical Protection Society (MPS) and Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) conference – Getting to grips with law and ethics – on Friday. The conference gave an insight into the challenges of complex ethical and medicolegal issues, and ways to aid safer practice within surgical specialties.
Convenience shouldn’t compromise confidentiality, says MPS on GPs using tablet devices
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While using tablet devices might give GPs greater flexibility with accessing information on the go, such as patient records, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is reminding GPs and practices that patient confidentiality needs to be carefully guarded.
Think twice before disclosing full patient records to insurance companies
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Following a change to how some insurance companies are assessing patients’ medical history from GPs, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is advising GP practices to ensure the patient has given valid consent before their information is disclosed.
MPS has long campaigned for a culture of openness and has seen from its members’ experience, the importance of being open and honest when something goes wrong.
Communicating with patients by fax and email - Northern Ireland
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Electronic communication can provide a useful and alternative point of access for patients. However, you should make sure that, if sensitive information needs to be sent electronically, safeguards are in place to avoid breaching patient confidentiality. This factsheet sets out the potential risks of electronic communication.
Many members of MPS will have very few medicolegal cases in the course of their career. But what happens to those who need assistance rather more frequently? Sarah Whitehouse finds out more.
Communicating with patients by fax and email - Wales
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Electronic communication can provide a useful and alternative point of access for patients. However, you should make sure that if sensitive information needs to besent electronically, safeguards are in place to avoid breaching patient confidentiality. This factsheet sets out the potential risks of electronic communication.
Communicating with patients by fax and email - Scotland
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Electronic communication can provide a useful and alternative point of access for patients. However, you should make sure that, if sensitive information needs to be sent electronically, safeguards are in place to avoid breaching patient confidentiality. This factsheet sets out the potential risks of electronic communication.
MPS welcomes information sharing but highlights need for safeguards
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The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has welcomed the Department of Health’s strategy to transform the use of information across healthcare. The world’s leading medical defence organisation believes that the principles will support communication, improve knowledge and promote shared decision making, however, patients need to be aware of the potential risks.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has found that there is still confusion by GP practices about the current complaints process, despite the changes coming into force in 2009.
Managing medicolegal risks during the holiday season
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With the August bank holiday signalling the peak of the 2012 ‘summer of celebrations’, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is reminding doctors about common holiday problems they could encounter.
MPS guidance for doctors working in slimming clinics
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The management of obesity in the private sector has come under increasing scrutiny from the MHRA and GMC, resulting in regulatory action being taken against some doctors.
Mental Capacity Act 2005 - Best interests tests - England and Wales
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The best interests principle in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (the Act) states that any act done or decision made on behalf of an adult lacking capacity must be in their best interests. This can cover financial, health and social care decisions.
Parental responsibility refers to the rights and responsibilities that most parents have in respect of their children. This factsheet gives advice on who has parental responsibility and where responsibility lies in situations in which there are disagreements over the best interests of the child.
Late diagnosis of HIV in adults continues to be an important issue in the UK but for too long it has been absent from healthcare’s topical agenda. With national audit data showing that 24% of deaths of HIV-positive adults in the UK in 2006 were due to a diagnosis of HIV being made too late for effective treatment,1 and further data showing that around one third of all HIV infections in UK adults remain undiagnosed, and approximately 25% of newly-diagnosed individuals have a CD4 count of less than 200 – an indicator of late diagnosis – there is clearly a lack of timely opportunity to improve early diagnosis.
Read real-life cases of complaints, claims and clinical negligence taken from our archives.
Chosen to give you clear learning points to help you avoid similar situations and reduce your risk, the cases also feature advice from medicolegal experts.
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