In conversation with…
Estimated read time: 12 mins
The MPS purpose is inspirational. Everyone within the organisation is very driven by the purpose that we support and protect healthcare professionals, with their reputation, financial security, and wellbeing, when they need us most.
It’s been incredible to join an organisation that is over 130 years old and that provides such a high standard of service to its members, and that is also future focused, remaining relevant for members now and in the future. Not only do we listen to members and address their needs, but we also focus on building our capabilities to ensure we can continue to deliver and be there for members.
We have built a five-year strategy which is future focused to serve members even better. For example, we’re making it even easier for members to use our systems, developing digital self-service options for those members who want to access simple administrative processes 24/7, but keeping our personal approach and human touch, and still being there for members when they need us most.
I want to ensure that we are a sustainable organisation. I am focused on how we can continue to add value for members and provide the best services for them.
What sets us apart is our gold standard of support and advice for members, be that when they face regulatory investigations, disciplinaries, attend inquests, when a claim is made against them, or they face legal action. There is no doubt that the service we offer is of the highest quality and that we support the member throughout. MPS provides the full concierge service and by that, I mean we are there with the member supporting them throughout. In the build up to a regulatory hearing, we are there with the member doing prep work with them so that they know what is happening and what they need ahead of the hearing, and they have access to resources to support their wellbeing in what is an incredibly stressful experience. Ultimately, members could face having their registration taken away by a regulator which is the end of their career, but we are there to do the best by the member and help save them time, money, and stress.
In terms of our services, our main product that is available to the vast majority of members, occurrence-based indemnity, is a standout offering. It is uncapped and has no excess for members to pay, protecting clinicians for any event during their period of membership no matter when the claim is eventually made. It is that peace of mind for any healthcare professional who may have retired, changed career, or moved to work in another field, that even though they no longer pay for membership, they are protected for that previous work.
Why does this make a difference, you might ask? It’s important because when you retire or change career, your indemnity arrangements stay with you for life, at no additional cost.
On top of this, MPS also offers risk prevention training and insights based on our global database to share insights with members. We’ve got a huge amount of information on how to best help members reduce their risk and for them to practise safely.
MPS is here for members and for the good of healthcare professionals, so we use discretion in a positive way. We always start with the predisposition to help our members. We often use discretion where others follow a contract and its set rules. Whereas the position at MPS is to see how a member seeking assistance can be helped, meaning we can be flexible in determining the assistance that we can provide.
Discretion is the right model for healthcare because it is so adaptable to the fast-paced nature of medicine and dentistry advancements.
Member subscriptions cover the costs of claims and support, and MPS does not have shareholders who require dividends – we are owned by members. Any unspent funds are reinvested back into the organisation for the benefit of all members. Subscriptions paid by members are invested through our fund to ensure the long-term financial security needed to pay current and future claims.
The fund also provides an investment return, and when we invest MPS considers the impact of its investments on the environment and society, and how the businesses we invest in are governed, ensuring the long-term health of our planet and communities is integrated into the investment objectives.
Ultimately the aim is to offer high quality products and services at a fair price to members – and to do so in an ethical way that is driven by purpose, not profits.
It was just wonderful to meet all of the members and the member organisations, for instance the Hong Kong Medical Association and the Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association. I was also able to meet with hospital groups and other stakeholders during the events.
I had the privilege to chat to many of our members face to face and it was fascinating to hear directly from them on what the needs are in Hong Kong and what they, as members, want from MPS.
A big theme when I was in Hong Kong was the request to support members in the Greater Bay Area and I am delighted to say we’ve made huge progress on this. We can now offer Hong Kong members protection from incidents that happen in the Greater Bay Area for both claims and regulatory matters. I listened to what members wanted and we’re making good on our promises to Hong Kong members.
We have also recently introduced retroactive reporting benefits for members who have claims-made policy elsewhere and would like to move over to an occurrence-based product with MPS. There might be a gap for the individual and the additional retroactive benefits is there to bridge that potential gap for prospective members. It makes the process of moving over to MPS affordable and easier.
I am always keen to hear feedback from members and learn directly from them on what they need. We are currently looking at how our operating model best serves members in Hong Kong and we plan to improve it.
