2018/19 Indemnity Settlement & the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP)

Please see the information relating to the 2018/19 Indemnity settlement. GPC England and NHS England have agreed the amount to cover the increased cost of indemnity for 2018/19. This will again be £60m and be paid on a per-patient basis equivalent to £1.005 per patient. Practices and individual GPs will need to discuss how this funding is distributed, in line with previous years. This is the third year that we have secured payment to cover the previous annual rise in indemnity costs. It now completes discussions related to the current indemnity scheme and represents a fair and final settlement. This is in addition to the state-backed indemnity scheme which begins next month. Read the  indemnity guidance.

From 1st April 2019, NHS Resolution will be operating a new state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England called the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP). The announcement on general practice indemnity is included in Investment and evolution: A five-year framework for GP contract reform, agreed by NHS England and the British Medical Association, and published on 31 January 2019. To read the full guidance,  click here.

The BMA has received the following statement from MPS confirming their arrangements for the coming year.

Simon Kayll, MPS Chief Executive said:

“Medical Protection has set new subscription fees for general practice members in England and Wales. Most members can expect to receive a significant reduction and in some cases they may be eligible for a partial refund on their current year’s subscription. Medical Protection members will receive a personalised letter setting out their new tailored subscription information in detail in the next couple of days.

“The new state-backed scheme won’t protect GPs in all circumstances. This means Medical Protection membership will remain vital to protect against many challenges including regulatory issues, a complaint from a patient or a clinical negligence claim arising from private or fee paying work.

“A GP’s subscription will depend on a number of factors including the amount of private or fee paying work they undertake and the number of sessions they work. As an illustration, a GP working eight sessions can expect their subscription to be less than £800. This subscription includes advice and support with medicolegal issues from their NHS and private work as well as our 24 hour medicolegal advice line and risk management support.

“If a member carries out fee paying or private work they would need to add protection for any claims that may arise from this activity. The cost of this additional claims protection is dependent on their earnings from private or fee paying work. GPs can earn up to £2,500 from standard GP fee paying work for a subscription cost of £90. We expect that this will be adequate for many Medical Protection members. Those doing more private work can seek a tailored quote online or by calling our Member Services team.

“While Medical Protection members in General Practice in England and Wales will pay substantially less for their membership, they can they can expect to continue to receive the same high quality advice and support.”

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the LMC.