RPS Wales welcomes new negligence indemnity scheme

RPS Wales has welcomed new arrangements to provide clinical negligence indemnity for GPs and the wider multi-disciplinary team. The state-backed scheme announced by the Welsh Government will benefit all contracted GPs and members of the wider general practice team, including practice pharmacists. The scheme, which will come into force from April 2019, aims to mitigate concerns among the general practice workforce about the rising professional indemnity costs and the impact on patient care. The new scheme will align indemnity arrangements to the state-backed scheme announced in England last autumn. Through parity of arrangements with England it aims to ensure that GPs and practice developments in Wales are not disadvantaged in any way.

Commenting on the announcement, Suzanne Scott-Thomas, Chair of the RPS Welsh Pharmacy Board said: “The Welsh Government’s investment in a professional indemnity scheme for GPs is a positive step forward for the development of sustainable primary care services in Wales. Alongside our GP colleagues, we have increasingly been concerned about the impact of prohibitive indemnity costs on patient care and the overall development of primary care services. We are pleased that practice-based pharmacists and other health professionals working within general practice will be included in these arrangements. We are also confident that the evolution of primary care services will benefit from this important change."