MDDUS membership provides unlimited indemnity.
Unlike conventional insurance products we don't place any limit on the cover we give, and unlike insurance policies we don't have conditions and exclusions that can result in claims being declined.
MDDUS membership provides occurrence-based indemnity. This means that you are eligible for assistance for all events that occur while you are a member, regardless of when an actual claim is made. You will enjoy the full support of the MDDUS even if you have moved abroad, ceased clinical work or retired.
Insurance products operate in a completely different way; they usually only guarantee protection if you are insured, both when the incident occurred and when the claim is made.
The crucial importance of this lies in the fact that medical and dental malpractice claims can be made several months or even years after the events that give rise to the claim.
Discretionary means that the settling of claims and providing of assistance is at the discretion of the Board.
The ability to operate discretion, as opposed to compliance with inflexible terms and conditions such as those found in insurance policies, is a positive benefit.
In many cases we have offered levels of support to our members that would not have been possible with a conventional insurance policy.
As a hospital doctor, you will be covered by crown indemnity for work undertaken within your NHS contract.
If, however, you were involved in disciplinary issues, General Medical Council (GMC)/General Dental Council (GDC) referrals, fatal accident inquiries or coroner's inquests, you would not receive any assistance.
In situations like this, which can have a serious impact on your career and ultimately result in you being struck off, MDDUS membership provides you with access to expert support and advice.
The MDDUS advisory and legal teams have years of experience and clinical knowledge from which you can benefit.
No. The NHS will not assist you if you're involved in a GMC or GDC matter.
It's important to remember that the GMC/GDC has the power to suspend you, place restrictions on your practice, issue you with a warning and ultimately erase you from the register.
With such potentially severe consequences, there are many advantages to having representation and assistance from the MDDUS whose focus will be to ensure that your case is dealt with fairly and efficiently.
Although an individual cannot be found at fault at an inquiry or inquest, any criticisms made can lead to a GMC/GDC or criminal matter being raised against you.
Due to the potential of such a serious outcome it is important to have the support and guidance of an MDDUS adviser who can advise you on how to conduct yourself throughout this formal, and often daunting, process.
At MDDUS, we have retained some of the UK's leading medico-legal and dento-legal solicitors, which means we can instruct the best legal representation.
As an MDDUS member, this representation is available to you free of charge.
One of the most valuable benefits of a mutual organisation is that the MDDUS doesn't have shareholders and does not pay dividends to its members.
That means all the income generated by subscriptions is invested back into the organisation and member services, and in the maintenance of a healthy reserve to cover legal costs and claims
This, coupled with our sound financial acumen, means that we maintain very competitive subscription rates and have built a financially strong organisation.
MDDUS members are indemnified to work anywhere in the UK except the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.
Although we do not normally operate membership outside the UK, we do indemnify members for Good Samaritan acts anywhere in the world, which are not covered by any other indemnity or insurance arrangements.
It is our understanding that your previous defence organisation will continue to protect you for time spent with them as a member, should any case arise after you leave them.
For your own peace of mind, you should confirm this with them.
Because our occurrence-based cover means you can still call on us even after you've retired, should a claim arise from the time you were an MDDUS member.