Join the most trusted
medical defence organisation

Your membership offers comprehensive protection through advice, support and assistance with clinical negligence claims*, MCHK matters, support with complaints, disciplinary proceedings, inquests and criminal investigations arising from clinical practice, 24/7 medicolegal advice, risk prevention, CME and more.
Find out more about your benefits 

*for private practice members 

Medical Protection is commited to ensuring that your subscription rate is reflective of the work you carry out. Read more

Membership offers support with complaints, disciplinary proceedings, inquests and criminal investigations arising from clinical practice, 24/7 medicolegal advice, risk prevention CME and more. Find out more about your benefits.

For over 125 years we have focused exclusively on protecting healthcare professionals against allegations of clinical negligence, and have unparalleled insight into the risks you face over the span of your career, and beyond. We believe you should have a protection product that meets your full requirements in the long-term as well as the short-term. With our occurrence-based protection, there are no limits to the indemnity we can provide*, no excesses to pay and no need to make additional indemnity arrangements when you retire, end membership or cease practice. You should check the availability and affordability of run-off cover when comparing the costs of any insurance policy versus Medical Protection membership. Your membership is backed by the power of discretion, which means there are no small print or exclusions to worry about. Discretion allows us to respond to changes in medicine and the medicolegal environment, assisting members with emerging problems that may not have been foreseen at the time you took up membership.

*Indemnity limits apply to members in high-risk paediatrics and obstetrics. 

Read our article to find out why discretionary indemnity and the flexibility it offers is important.

If you are employed by the state, and treat patients in a state facility, then the state provides indemnity against claims arising from your professional practice.

State indemnity will only cover the financial consequences of a claim for clinical negligence. Its purpose is to ensure public patients are compensated if they suffer harm, rather than protect you or your professional interests.

However, it does not extend to assistance for:

• internal complaints and disciplinaries related to your clinical practice
• inquests
• Medical Council investigations
• criminal allegations arising from the provision of clinical care.

As a Medical Protection member you would however be entitled to request assistance in these circumstances.

We can also help members by advising them on how best to protect themselves in their professional practice, assisting in preparing and checking reports for the State Attorney and providing assistance with media relations to help protect their reputation.

Additional benefits include, but are not limited to, free communication skills and risk management workshops, verifiable CPD and CEU, emergency medicolegal advice available 24/7, and support and assistance for Good Samaritan acts.

Extended liability

Medical Protection membership grants the right to request indemnity in relation to your own clinical practice. However, as an owner or partner in a practice you may be responsible for liability arising from other elements of the business, for example:

• vicarious liability for the acts and omissions of other healthcare professionals or staff at your practice;
• liability for products that are sold at your practice;
• liability in relation to the safety of the practice environment; and
• liability for non-clinical matters such as taxes and the performance of contracts entered into by or on behalf of your practice.

It is important to understand that the subscription for an individual Medical Protection member is calculated on the basis of the risk represented by that member alone. In the interests of fairness across the membership as a whole, where you are exposed to additional liabilities (such as those listed above), you do not have the right request indemnity for matters beyond your own clinical practice, unless your membership grade is expressly extended to cover these. Note that Medical Protection offers corporate membership and other bespoke arrangements for members who require indemnity for the clinical negligence of their staff. Please contact your local membership office for further information.