DT News - UK - UK government launches consultation on health care indemnity

Dental Tribune UK

Tue. 11 December 2018

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LONDON, UK: The UK government is currently holding a consultation on appropriate indemnity cover for health care professionals who are not covered by any existing or proposed state-backed scheme. The consultation comes as a result of concerns over these indemnity arrangements and their potential to prevent patients from receiving the appropriate compensation, placing the health care professional at the risk of being held personally liable for patients’ claims.

The consultation is being held by the Department of Health and Social Care and is scheduled to run until 28 February 2019. It aims to gather opinions and information on the following two options: to leave the arrangements as they are or to change the legislation in order to require health care professionals who are not covered by state-backed schemes to have cover that is regulated.

The UK government has previously announced its intention to develop a state-backed scheme for England-based general practitioners (GP) and their staff to provide cover for clinical negligence claims arising from GP services provided via the National Health Services system. However, some dental professionals and private practitioners fall outside of this proposed scheme, in particular those who are based in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

“This consultation is yet another missed opportunity to tackle the real issues that drive rising costs for health care professionals,” commented Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) Chief Executive Officer and Secretary Chris Kenny.

“Patients will not be better protected. The document acknowledges that there is no evidence of harm in the UK from the current discretionary model. Doctors and dentists will gain no benefit.”

“We can at least welcome the fact that the government is consulting properly on this issue in a way that it has not done elsewhere. We therefore urge clinicians, their representative bodies and the devolved administrations to follow MDDUS’s lead and respond strongly to the government to urge them to focus on where change is really needed.”

Those who would like to find out more about the consultation or respond to it can do so here.

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