The Medical Defence Union has lent its “strong support” to proposals that could make clinical negligence insurance a condition of registration for dentists, while calling for it to be extended to all healthcare professionals.
In its submission to the Department of Health's consultation, “Strengthening the General Dental Council”, the MDU claimed that making indemnity insurance mandatory across the whole of the medical profession would be “very simple” and would also help patients who might not gain compensation in the event of a claim being upheld.
In terms of concrete proposals, the MDU thinks that the insurance should be made up of a combination of a claims-made policy from a GDC-approved list of FSA-authorised suppliers, and mandatory run-off cover so practitioners are still insured after they leave the profession. It also suggests that a dedicated fund be established to protect the patients of uninsured practitioners, as is already the case with motor insurance.
Sceptics might point to the organisation's vested interest in the matter though, given that it is currently the largest indemnifier of UK doctors.
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