Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will pay the costs of medical indemnity cover required by GP practices when providing an out of regular hours service.

As independent contractors, general practitioners (GPs) are responsible for meeting the costs of their own medical indemnity cover.

Earlier this year NHS England introduced a short-term pilot scheme which reimbursed the additional indemnity costs resulting from undertaking additional sessions in Out of Hours care settings.

GPs are not eligible to join the NHS Litigation Authority’s Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, unless they are employed directly by a National Health Service trust. GPs are self-employed and independent practitioners.

GPs are of course able to purchase cover from one of the medical defence unions.