Caroline Spelman, Member of Parliament for Meriden Constituency, presented a petition on the floor of the House of Commons, which calls upon MPs to legislate for more comprehensive measures to insure patients against incidences of clinical negligence.
In the healthcare industry, professionals are required to hold liability insurance to protect themselves and their patients. However, in a small number of cases, patients who were subject to alleged clinical negligence, have been left unable to claim compensation as the insurance held by some healthcare professionals does not cover such incidences.
Therefore, to ensure patients are better protected, Caroline has launched a petition to call upon the House to consider adopting legislation requiring insurance providers to offer more affordable and comprehensive cover patients and professionals. The petition further requests that MPs consider ensuring that any healthcare professionals being investigated for clinical negligence are suspended from practising in both the NHS and private sector until at least a time when the complaint is resolved to the satisfaction of the GMC.
The petition, presented on the floor of the House of Commons, reads as follows:
The petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that private healthcare patients have less access to adequate redress and compensation following negligent treatment in comparison to NHS patients; further that insurance companies can withdraw cover from healthcare professionals who are alleged to have breached the terms of the insurance policy; and further that healthcare professionals under investigation for negligence should not be able to work in either the NHS or the private sector until disciplinary proceedings have concluded to the satisfaction of the General Medical Council and patient, or patients concerns, and, in the case of fatalities, the patients’ families;
The petitioners therefore ask the House of Commons to legislate to require insurance companies to provide affordable cover for every aspect of healthcare professionals work including cases where the work was found to be negligent, and for all healthcare professionals under investigation for negligence to be suspended until the complaint has been fully resolved.
And the petitioners remains, etc.