Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will discuss with the Royal College of Nursing the need to ensure that GP’s medical negligence insurance is extended to provide cover in the event GPs are required to provide medical support for neighbouring surgeries during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Arrangements are in place to indemnify healthcare professionals through one of the following state indemnity schemes:

- The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, if they are engaged by a National Health Service trust to provide NHS services; and

- Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice, if they are engaged by a general practitioner (GP) practice to provide NHS services (i.e. a GP practice, the main business of which is the provision of primary medical services for the NHS).

During the outbreak, existing indemnity arrangements will continue to cover the vast majority of NHS services, including staff working in a place that is not their ordinary place of work. To ensure there are no gaps in indemnity coverage, the Coronavirus Bill seeks additional powers to provide clinical negligence indemnity arising from NHS activities related to the COVID-19 outbreak, where there is no existing indemnity arrangement in place.

Departmental officials have discussed COVID-19 and indemnity with the Royal College of Nursing, and will continue this engagement.