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Reminder of the Importance of Notification of any Adverse Events
20th September 2023
Emily Borhan, Medico-legal Adviser to PRASIS and our Brokers MIC (Medical Insurance Consultants) writes:
When you take out your indemnity each year, you sign up to a contractual agreement with a particular insurer.
As part of this agreement, you are required to notify any situation, or circumstance, that could give rise to a claim under that policy. It is important that this is done as soon as possible following the event or circumstance to ensure that your position is protected if the matter progresses and to make sure that the position on defence is protected. By telling us sooner rather than later, we can ensure that the complaint is being dealt with appropriately and we can try to limit the risk of it escalating further.
What sort of matter could require notification?
Every situation is different and therefore it is hard to give an exact answer. The advice that we provide is that you must make sure you notify any incident, complaint, or circumstance that has the potential to escalate further. This could be a complaint being handled by the hospital, a patient who has requested further revision surgery due to dissatisfaction or an unintended result, and any legal correspondence that you receive.
When should you notify these matters?
As soon as possible. You should always notify us about the situation as soon as you become aware of it. It may be that we do nothing further with it for some time, but it is nevertheless important it has been noted on your policy.
Will the notifications affect my renewal premium?
By notifying us about a complaint or circumstance, you are protecting your position for any future issue that may arise and trigger the policy. The number of notifications on your policy should not directly affect your premium, and if you are notifying matters on a precautionary basis then this will be noted on the system and acknowledged at the time of your renewal. If there are a number of notifications that require legal assistance, or demonstrate a high-risk profile, then this too will be reviewed at the renewal process.
If you have any questions or are unsure on whether or not a matter should be notified, please contact the medico-legal helpline on 03332408979.