Medical Protection Society

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Coordinates: 53°47′32″N 1°32′55″W / 53.79222°N 1.54861°W / 53.79222; -1.54861 The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is a not for profit organisation which offers legal and ethical help to medical and dental (through its subsidiary company Dental Protection Ltd.) professionals. Based in the United Kingdom, it operates in over 40 countries (including Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, New Zealand and the Caribbean and Bermuda) and has over 270,000 members worldwide.

The MPS was founded in 1892, with just 13 original members all practising in the home counties of England, and now (2011) has over 270,000 members worldwide. The other two organisations in the same field in the UK are the Medical Defence Union (MDU) and the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS).

Contents

[edit] Indemnity

MPS aims to help doctors with ethical and legal problems that arise from their clinical practice. Members of the MPS look to the organisation for medicolegal advice and indemnification for the legal costs in defence of their professional reputations. MPS also pays out damages for clinical negligence. However, it is not an insurance company; MPS offers funds and other services to its membership body at the discretion of a council of representative members.[1]

The Council’s obligations and powers are set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.[2] A copy of this is sent to members when they join MPS.

[edit] Functions

Some of the services[3]provided by MPS include:

– Medicolegal advice from its team of medicolegal advisers
– Legal representation in a range of circumstances, such as clinical negligence claims and disciplinary hearings
– Support with handling press intrusion if a member is involved in a case which attracts media attention
– Counselling service for any members who are suffering from stress as a result of an adverse incident or medicolegal matter
– Risk management workshops, lectures and publications on a variety of subjects, from consent to medical records, to help avoid the risk of complaints
– Lobbying[4] to bring about a sensible regulatory environment to provide a safer environment for patients and healthcare professionals.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Medical Protection Society Company Description". Hoover's. http://www.hoovers.com/medical-protection-society/--ID__135232--/free-co-profile.xhtml. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  2. ^ "Memorandum and articles of association". MPS. http://www.medicalprotection.org/Default.aspx?DN=346814c4-690d-4731-b486-93be9e1dd6e0. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  3. ^ "Support 4 Doctors". Royal Medical Benevolent Fund. http://www.support4doctors.org/organisations.php/46/medical-protection-society&cat=44. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
  4. ^ "Complaints and Litigation: Written evidence from the Medical Protection Society (CAL 12)". UK Parliament. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmhealth/786/786we28.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-21. 

[edit] External links

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