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 really insightful to spend time in Ireland. It was amazing to spend time with the team in country and meet in person with key stakeholders including the regulators, associations, and member organisations. I got a real feel for the healthcare landscape and themes impacting our Irish members.
What stood out to me is the expertise and passion we have in our colleagues based in Ireland, who are on hand to support members across the country. Ireland is unique in its claims landscape, which we know from our own surveys and review of data at MPS. Claims brought against members in Ireland take longer to conclude and incur higher legal costs than all other countries where we have members. The knock-on impact of this on the wellbeing of our members is immense. We’ve listened to members and will continue to listen as we also lobby the government for changes to the system to make it less adversarial, less stressful, and easier to resolve – saving time and money – for both healthcare professionals and their patients. Change does take time and if our recommendations are taken up, it will take time to see the beneficial impacts of this make its way through the system, but we will continue to push for change for the good of our members.
I’d also like to highlight our gold standard of support from MPS because we will be with members, every step of the way, over the claims process, no matter how many years it may take. The process can be consuming and overwhelming, but we do our best to make it as easy and supportive as possible.
I want to tell members that we are there for them in the long term. We have a long-standing commitment to Ireland and will continue this for the future. We provide support through our team based around the country so that they can serve different areas of Ireland. We are committed to encouraging better practice with regulators and the state and have a long-term vision for how to support members in Ireland.
