An obvious question to ask when people are unintentionally but avoidably harmed is: “why did things go wrong?” Professor Paul Bowie, Programme Director (Safety & Improvement) at NHS Education for Scotland, looks at how we can think differently about patient safety.

The focus on patient safety in healthcare is at the forefront of ensuring the provision of high quality healthcare.1 Diane Baylis, clinical risk educator at Medical Protection, tells us more about the concept of ‘never events’ and how they can improve patient safety.

Most practices will engage locum GPs at some point. In this article, Dr Mahibur Rahman, a portfolio GP and the medical director of Emedica, looks at some top tips for practices to consider from the perspective of a locum GP.

To ensure staffing needs are met, whether because of unexpected shortages or due to planned cover, the use of locums is commonplace in many general practices. Our employment law partner, Croner, looks at steps you can take to ensure a positive locum experience.

Doctors are under an obligation to co-operate with any coronial investigation, including attendance at an inquest if called to give evidence. Rachel Parker, case manager at Medical Protection, looks at the consequences of failing to attend an inquest

Medical Protection advice line often receives queries from doctors concerned about patients that are driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Kate Cowan, advisory case manager, shares our advice.

Situations where a doctor is both an employer and the treating clinician of a patient are problematic and should be avoided. Sarah Pickering, advisory case manager at Medical Protection, looks at a recent query from the advice line

Medical Protection litigation solicitor Suzanne Tate looks at a claim involving a missed diagnosis of sepsis and the work of Medical Protection in successfully defending seven GP members

In this article, medicolegal consultant Dr Rachel Birch talks with Dr Richard Fieldhouse, Chairman of NASGP, about how the experiences of locum GPs have led NASGP to design systems to save practices and locum GPs time, provide information and improve patient care.

Julie Price, head of risk management and education consultancy at Medical Protection, discusses how practices are adopting new ways of streamlining the workload to make service provision more manageable, whilst continuing to provide good quality care for patients.

Medical Protection’s expert consultants frequently deal with queries about patient confidentiality. However, few cases reach the steps of the courts. Dr James Lucas, medicolegal consultant, examines a recent High Court judgment in a neighbouring jurisdiction.