Consultation on the future of dental indemnity is still ongoing, but is it time that reform is fast tracked?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 4th April 2023
There are thousands of clinicians in the UK who are still indemnified by the non-regulated Medical Defence Organisations (MDOs). But does discretionary indemnity really support modern dentistry and their patients?
A system that failed
The Government consultation on the future of medical indemnity is now in its sixth year. But can the lack of regulation continue for MDOs?
At the end of January, we learned about the case of 81-year-old Clive Worthington who had received compensation for failed dental implant work that had left him in constant pain. The fight had taken over 10 years, until he was awarded £116,000 compensation by a UK court.[1] But he didn’t receive a penny. The dentist who delivered the treatment was a member of an MDO, who exercised their discretion to not provide indemnity. Last September, after suffering pain, stress and the financial burden of legal action for a decade, Mr Worthington took his own life. An inquest is pending, but his family believe that the “devastating loophole” in UK dental insurance regulations was the “final blow” that contributed to his death.[2]
If you are a member of an MDO would you know that should a patient pursue a claim against you, your MDO could decide not to cover you without giving a reason? Leaving you, the dentist, personally liable for any damages awarded. Perhaps it’s time for dentists and other medical professionals to vote with their feet, and be the catalyst for change.
The gold standard for modern dentistry
Choose Insurance-backed cover and you are choosing to protect your reputation, assets and mental health. And, should the decision be that your patient was treated negligently, and received incorrect and/or inappropriate care, they will be properly compensated too.
At Howden, we are a specialist provider of contract certain, Insurance-backed cover for dentists and dental professionals at every stage of their career. Unlike MDOs, we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as well as being backed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), entitling policyholders to compensation should the insurer not be able to cover the cost of the claim, for extra peace of mind. Our cover is robust, broad and fit for the modern age. Crucially, if you have previously been with a MDO, our cover provides a safety net that will retroactively protect you for that period. This means you can move to Howden with confidence, knowing that you have the right people on your side and that you will be well looked-after. And, should a patient make a successful claim against you, they will be well looked-after too. The bottom line is, in 2023, no patient should be without compensation for dental treatment and/or care that was proven to be inappropriate or incorrect.
We must protect our patients and protect ourselves. Choose contract-backed indemnity, from a regulated provider.
For more information or to contact the team, please visit www.howdenmedicalindemnity.co.uk or call 020 3918 9127.
Howden Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of general insurance business. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 725875. Registered Office: One Creechurch Place, London, EC3A 5AF
[1] Man, 81, takes own life after botched dental work and the loophole that denied him compensation. ITV News, 31 January 2023. Link: https://www.itv.com/news/2023-01-30/man-81-takes-own-life-after-loophole-denied-him-pay-out-for-botched-dentistry (accessed February 2023).
[2] https://www.itv.com/news/2023-01-30/man-81-takes-own-life-after-loophole-denied-him-pay-out-for-botched-dentistry
