Service Notice: 4–6 July From 2pm 4 July to 6 July, some online services will be unavailable. Membership services phone lines will close at 4pm on 4 July. Medicolegal support and advice remain unaffected. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Dedicated resources for trainee GPs, including advice, case studies and exam and revision guidance to support you before and during your speciality training.
Confidentiality is at the centre of maintaining trust between patients and doctors. As a doctor, you have access to sensitive personal information about patients and you have a legal and ethical duty to keep this information confidential, unless the patient consents to the disclosure, disclosure is required by law or is necessary in the public interest. This factsheet sets out the basic principles of confidentiality.
Fit note is an informal name for the Statement of Fitness for Work. The Statement intends to advise patients who are on sick leave for more than seven days on whether, with extra support from their employer, they could return to work.
Confidentiality – General principles - Northern Ireland
Time to read article: 6 mins
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Confidentiality is at the centre of maintaining trust between patients and doctors. As a doctor, you have access to sensitive personal information about patients and you have a legal and ethical duty to keep this information confidential, unless the patient consents to the disclosure; disclosure is required by law or is necessary in the public interest. This factsheet sets out the basic principles of confidentiality.
Dr Robin Chesters had been a partner in a practice for six years before he bit the bullet and decided to launch his career as a locum GP. Sara Williams asks: What’s so great about locuming?
Elderly people are the fastest growing demographic in the UK. But are care levels rising to meet their needs? Sara Williams meets a surgery in Northampton who have improved their continuity of care, and changed the face of practice
Childhood vaccination errors are a national problem in general practice, Julie Wilson, MPS’s clinical risk programme manager and Dr Tom Lloyd, medicolegal adviser, get to the point of safe immunisations
Document telephone consultations contemporaneously.
Obtain and document a thorough history. Telephone consultations do not give a GP the opportunity to assess clinical signs.
One of the biggest risks in treating elderly patients in nursing homes is communication. Dr Rachel Birch, a sessional GP and MPS medicolegal adviser, reviews a case where communication failure led to patient harm. she then answers typical medicolegal queries around community care
If a patient dies and the death is reportable to the coroner, you should leave all equipment in place until you have discussed the case with the coroner’s officer. This factsheet gives you further information about what to do.
Removal of medical equipment after death - England
Time to read article: 2 mins
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If a patient dies and the death is reportable to the coroner, you should leave all equipment in place until you have discussed the case with the coroner’s officer. This factsheet gives you further information about what to do.
Communicating with patients by fax and email - England
Time to read article: 3 mins
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Electronic communication can provide a useful and alternative point of access for patients. However, you should ensure 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.
In this issue we bring you two interesting cases; the first encourages GPs to exercise caution when diagnosing haematuria, and the second highlights how various poor communication channels can have a negative impact on patient care.
The GMC states that “doctors play a crucial role in protecting children from abuse and neglect”. Child maltreatment includes neglect and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The following frequently asked questions are designed to advise MPS members what to do and who to contact, should they suspect children are at risk of, or are experiencing, harm.
This workshop will help you to gain a greater understanding of the patient safety culture that exists in your practice, allowing you to identify and target areas for improvement.
Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, MPS medicolegal adviser, gives junior doctors guidance on the best way to prepare for a night shift. She explains what they need before, during and after to ensure the shift runs smoothly.
Location: In-house (Read more for further details)
Time to read article: 1 mins
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Your repeat prescribing journey
Repeat prescribing is a complex journey that accounts for 75% of prescriptions issued in general practice. With more than 20 steps from the initial decision to prescribe to the patient finally taking the medication, the opportunity for error is great. Therefore, it is no wonder that errors in repeat prescribing frequently occur.
Being subject to a complaint or investigation can be distressing and stressful. Our video series shows how Medical Protection will continue to provide you with personal support, advice and representation for a whole range of medicolegal concerns, protecting your career and reputation.
Our professional development courses are available when and where it suits you. From short online courses to face to-face-workshops, discover a range of CPD courses included in your membership.
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.
You'll notice a few things have changed on our website. After asking our members what they want in an online platform, we've made it easier to access our membership benefits and created a more personalised user experience.
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