Articles and features 09/10/2018 Managing conflict in general practice Preview Article Managing conflict in general practice Time to read article: 5 mins Close Preview Suzanne Creed, Clinical Risk Education Manager explains how to increase your understanding of conflict and provides some key strategies to deal with it more effectively. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Negotiating & influencing Conflict management Practice Matters General practice Communication
Articles and features 09/10/2018 From the advice line: consent for childhood immunisation Preview Article From the advice line: consent for childhood immunisation Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Dr Rachel Birch, medicolegal consultant and editor-in-chief of Practice Matters, shares a recent case where a member sought advice regarding consent for childhood immunisation. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Practice Matters Consent & capacity Consent
Articles and features 09/10/2018 Ask the expert: Is a patient’s son entitled to access his mother’s co... Preview Article Ask the expert: Is a patient’s son entitled to access his mother’s confidential information? Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Is the patient’s son entitled to access his mother’s confidential information? Where a patient lacks capacity clinicians should consider what action is in the patient’s best interests. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Practice Matters Consent Capacity Confidentiality General practice
Case report 28/09/2018 Learning from allegations of sexual assault Preview Article Learning from allegations of sexual assault Time to read article: 10 mins Close Preview Gross negligence manslaughter is a topical issue in healthcare, but cases against doctors are still comparatively rare. Dr John Jolly, head of member risk education and Dr Richard Stacey, head of policy and technical, look at a more common cause of criminal cases brought against members of Medical Protection: sexual assault. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Consent Negligence Claims
26/09/2018 NHS England Winter Indemnity Scheme information for members Preview Article NHS England Winter Indemnity Scheme information for members Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview If you are a GP member of Medical Protection and would like to take part in the NHS England Winter Indemnity Scheme, find all the information you need here. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing clinical risk
Case report 21/09/2018 When is healthcare criminal? Preview Article When is healthcare criminal? Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview The case of Dr Bawa-Garba and the resulting collision between the medical community and the criminal justice system, sent shockwaves around the world. Dr Richard Stacey, head of policy and technical at Medical Protection, analyses criminal cases handled by MPS in 2017 to gauge the likelihood of further charges of gross negligence manslaughter. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Investigations Claims Negligence
Case report 12/09/2018 Injection errors Preview Article Injection errors Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview A common cause of claims at Medical Protection is injection errors. While generally low in value, they frequently cause anxiety to patients and clinicians, and are easily avoided. Dr Dawn McGuire, Medical Claims Adviser at Medical Protection, looks at some typical cases. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Communication Prescribing
Articles and features 12/09/2018 Online prescription services: what if you disagree? Preview Article Online prescription services: what if you disagree? Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Online prescription services offer great convenience to patients, but they also come with risks. What do you do if one of your patients has been taking medication prescribed online that you do not think they require? Dr Marika Davies, senior medicolegal adviser at Medical Protection, explores this issue. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Prescribing Communication
Articles and features 29/08/2018 Artificial intelligence: who’s liable? Preview Article Artificial intelligence: who’s liable? Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Advancements in medical technology can bring huge benefits for patients and clinicians alike – but new approaches can also mean new risks. Dr Helen Hartley, Head of Underwriting Policy at Medical Protection, looks at where the liability lies for artificial intelligence. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Decision Making Generic medical audience Generic Medicine System Errors General Surgery
News and updates 21/08/2018 Learning from deaths: new guidance from NHS England Preview Article Learning from deaths: new guidance from NHS England Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Following new guidance from NHS England, Louisa Waite considers the importance of clear and honest communication when treating a patient who has reached the end of life. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Communication End of Life Care
News and updates 20/08/2018 Legal permission is no longer required to withdraw treatment in end o... Preview Article Legal permission is no longer required to withdraw treatment in end of life decisions Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Healthcare professionals do not need to seek Court approval when withdrawing treatment from patients in a permanent vegetative state, following a ruling by the Supreme Court. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... End of Life Care Communication Consent & capacity
News and updates 20/08/2018 Dr Bawa-Garba: the real impact of appeal win Preview Article Dr Bawa-Garba: the real impact of appeal win Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Last week saw the welcome news that Dr Bawa-Garba’s legal team had successful appealed against her erasure from the medical register. Dr Rob Hendry, medical director at Medical Protection, looks at what this decision means for doctors, the courts and the GMC Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Claims
17/08/2018 Chapter 2: Professionalism - What does it look like? Preview Article Chapter 2: Professionalism - What does it look like? Time to read article: 6 mins Close Preview Here we look at some of the characteristics commonly associated with a professional person; as a doctor, these are perhaps the minimum expectations patients have of you. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Patients Use Guidelines Medical Records Record keeping Managing clinical risk
Case report 16/08/2018 Chain reaction Preview Article Chain reaction Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview A patient presents with a sore wrist after a fall. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Record keeping Complaints
Case report 14/08/2018 The challenges of making a challenge Preview Article The challenges of making a challenge Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview A patient’s solicitor sought disclosure of a GMC expert report after a case had been closed. Medical Protection successfully challenged this, only for the decision to be overturned at appeal. Kirsty Sharp, content editor at Medical Protection, looks at the challenges of making a challenge Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Expert Reports Data Protection Complaints Generic Medicine
Articles and features 06/08/2018 Is my patient fit to fly? Preview Article Is my patient fit to fly? Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Now that the peak holiday season is upon us, GPs may find themselves asked to declare patients “fit to fly”. Dr Rachel Birch, medicolegal adviser at Medical Protection, presents two case scenarios, illustrating what GPs can do to support patients while minimising potential risks. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... England Communication
News and updates 25/06/2018 GMC loses right to appeal – Medical Protection welcomes news Preview Article GMC loses right to appeal – Medical Protection welcomes news Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview In the latest development surrounding manslaughter in healthcare, the government has agreed to remove the GMC’s right to appeal decisions reached by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). This change follows ongoing campaigning by MPS, and Dr Rob Hendry, medical director at Medical Protection, says this is great news for the profession Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Negligence
Articles and features 08/06/2018 Redaction and anonymisation - doing your bit for data protection Preview Article Redaction and anonymisation - doing your bit for data protection Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview New data protection regulations came into force on 25 May and MPS is committed to fulfilling its legal obligations – correct redaction and anonymisation is one way that you can play your part in safeguarding data. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Communication Record keeping
Press release 02/05/2018 MPS works with NICE to revise cauda equina syndrome red flags Preview Article MPS works with NICE to revise cauda equina syndrome red flags Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has been instrumental in a revision to the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) red flag symptoms for cauda equina syndrome. The changes will help healthcare professionals diagnose the condition and make referrals earlier, enabling prevention of irreversible nerve damage and disability. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... General practice Diagnosis
Factsheet 27/04/2018 The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Preview Article The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Time to read article: 16 mins Close Preview From 25 May 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (1) will come into force and will have a direct effect in every EU country. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... England Medical Records Northern Ireland Data Protection Scotland Confidentiality
Case report 16/04/2018 Delayed diagnosis Preview Article Delayed diagnosis Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Mrs F, a 30-year-old housewife, visited her GP, Dr O, with a four-week history of diarrhoea. Dr O arranged a stool sample for microscopy and culture (which was negative) and prescribed codeine. Four months later, Mrs F was still having diarrhoea, especially after meals, and she had started to notice some weight loss. She returned to the surgery and this time saw Dr P, who examined her and found nothing remarkable, but decided to refer her to gastroenterology in view of her persistent symptoms. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Casebook Casebook Scotland Gastroenterology
Case report 13/04/2018 Failure to review nitrofurantoin: hepatitis and rash Preview Article Failure to review nitrofurantoin: hepatitis and rash Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Claims Casebook Scotland Medical Records Casebook Prescribing
Case report 13/04/2018 Failure to act on cauda equina Preview Article Failure to act on cauda equina Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Mr X, a 25-year-old fit and active man, was reviewed by his GP, Dr A, with a recurrence of lower back pain. He had noticed lumbar back pain intermittently throughout his 20s, but played a lot of sports to which he attributed his symptoms. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Record keeping Claims Neurology & Neurosurgery Casebook Negligence
Case report 13/04/2018 A missed diagnosis but no negligence Preview Article A missed diagnosis but no negligence Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Negligence Casebook Scotland Complaints Casebook Dermatology