MPS welcomes the insights which can be drawn from the findings of the GMC’s third report – ‘State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK’. Of note is the finding that 46% of complaints investigated were against GPs – more than any other speciality but only accounted for 35% of sanctions or warnings. Communication with patients was a feature in 29% of allegations against GPs.

Dr Stephanie Bown, MPS Director of Policy and Communications says:

We responded to the NHS Employers' consultation on maintaining high professional standards in the modern NHS, which closed on 6 September 2013.

MPS and DPL respond to the call for information on ‘How can professional regulation encourage healthcare professionals and social workers to be more candid when care goes wrong?’

An MPS survey of over 350 junior doctors who are just completing their first year on the hospital wards reveals that over two thirds (65%) chose a career in medicine because they wanted to help people.

MPS welcomed the CQC’s new approach to inspections and provided detailed comments:

In anticipation of the new statutory requirement to hold indemnity as a condition of registration for regulated healthcare professionals the HCPC produced guidance for their members on their obligations.

The year on year increase in clinical negligence claims against NHS Trusts continues, with the NHS LA reporting a 10.8 per cent rise in the number of new claims reported in the year ending March 2013, and a 66 per cent increase over the past 4 years.

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) and the BMA have written to Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, with key recommendations to ensure the newly created role of Chief Inspector of Hospitals is a success.

Dr Stephanie Bown, MPS Director of Policy and Communications said, 'MPS strongly supports transparency in the NHS and believes that this is key to protecting and promoting public confidence in the medical profession.

MPS welcomes the guidance from the Royal College of Anaesthetists as we think greater clarity on how performance issues should be managed is beneficial to both those who may have a concern about an anaesthetists performance and also those whose performance may be called into question. We made some specific suggestions as to how the guidance might be improved.

A survey of nearly 800 UK hospital doctors conducted by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) has revealed 55% see the Chief Inspector of Hospitals’ role as just another layer of bureaucracy that will achieve no real change.

We have commented on the draft Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Commenting on the news that Jeremy Hunt wants to place responsibility for round-the-clock care back in the hands of GPs, Nick Clements, Head of Medical Services for the Medical Protection Society said, 'The fictional world of Doc Martin is a long way from the reality of modern practice. The village doctor working all hours is simply unsustainable in many surgeries, which are struggling to cope under huge pressures, exacerbated by increasingly bureaucratic processes that divert resources away from patient care.

We have welcomed the government’s proposed approach to transposing into UK law the EU requirement for healthcare professionals to have an indemnity arrangement in place.

We welcome the opportunity to respond to the Ministry of Justice consultation on the Damages Act 1996 – The Discount Rate.

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has launched a report on the views of doctors and the public on online medical records. One of the issues highlighted is the disparity between the services that patients expect they will receive through online access to their records and what doctors think is realistic in the immediate term.

A survey by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) reveals that 84% of doctors think that online records will mean spending more time explaining the contents of records to patients. Although doctors and the public agree the most important use of medical records is to give the doctor an overview of all the medical treatments a patient has received, there is a mismatch in expectations about how records should be written.

A survey of healthcare professionals by medical indemnity provider the Medical Protection Society (MPS) has revealed concerns that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will expose doctors to accusations of conflicting interests as the role of GP changes.

Following the Government’s response to the Francis report today, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is pleased that time and care is being taken to consider whether a statutory duty of candour on individuals should be introduced. However, MPS continues to highlight its belief that high quality and effective openness in healthcare can only be achieved through a cultural shift, not legislation.

Commenting on the General Medical Council’s (GMC) updated version of Good Medical Practice, published today (25 March), Dr Stephanie Bown, Director of Policy and Communications at the Medical Protection Society (MPS) said, 'Upholding professional values is at the heart of the GMC’s guidance and it’s only right that doctors take the lead in ensuring high quality, safe care, especially for vulnerable patients.

As March is Prostate Cancer Awareness month, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is reminding GPs to keep the disease front of mind, especially as there is no national screening for prostate cancer, which is predicted to become UK’s most common cancer by 2030.

Technology highlighted as a key factor across risks in general practices The top risks in general practice have been identified based on data collected by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) from more than 120 general practices in the UK.

Following a survey of doctors and the public, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) compares the plans for online medical records to opening a ‘Pandora’s Box’, unless there are proper safeguards in place to protect patient confidentiality. The organisation is concerned that when access is granted, it could have unintended and severe consequences, such as sensitive information being accessed by a patient’s family members.