Our members
"Members come first – they are the focus of all that we do" is the first of our brand values. Members are at the centre of our strategy because we believe that they, like the patients that they serve, deserve excellent care too.
We deliver indemnity and a professional, high-quality advice service to healthcare professionals. Our members trust us to put their interests first. We act as stewards of members’ money so that they can have confidence that the benefits of membership will be available if they have reason to call on our support.
We treat all of our members fairly, delivering a high-quality service that meets their reasonable expectations throughout their relationship with us and beyond.
Membership benefits
The membership benefits are set out in the Membership Agreement. The key features of our membership are professional advice on a wide range of ethical, medico-legal and dento-legal issues; assistance, advice and representation (including legal representation) on complaints made against you, disciplinary proceedings taken against you, coroner’s inquests/fatal accident inquiries and regulatory matters referred to the GMC/GDC; professional assistance, advice, representation (including legal representation) and access to indemnity to meet your legal liability for claims made against you arising out of your professional practice.
We have the flexibility to deliver an efficient and personalised service for members which ensures that their individual circumstances are properly considered and our advice is suitable for that member.
Requesting assistance
When considering a request from a member or former member for assistance, we will consider them on an individual basis taking into account all of the circumstances of the case. We will consider them fairly, following our established policy, procedures, guidance and guidelines, using our appropriately qualified advisers who can exercise good judgement based on their experience and knowledge of modern practice.
To ensure that we can help members when they need us, make sure that they are in correct membership grade for the role, hours and location and that subscriptions are up to date. It is important that members’ details reflect their current practice and, where relevant, earnings.
If there is uncertainty about a member’s eligibility for support, they will be given the opportunity to provide more information to support their request.
Communications with members
We will ensure that all our communications are clear and written in a way that is readily understood.
We will ensure that the terms of membership are clearly explained and that they do not contain hidden conditions or rely on complex, technical definitions. We will ensure that benefits can be easily changed to reflect the changing circumstances of the member.
Our marketing communications will contain information that is clear, fair and not misleading so that current, past and prospective members are appropriately informed about the nature and scope of their membership benefits before, during and after a period of membership.
Our staff
All our staff are key to delivering the high-quality professional services that our members expect. They are committed to treating members fairly.
We encourage and support all staff in their training and development. Our advisers are all qualified and trained to a high standard in medical, dental and legal matters. Our culture and governance structure means that our business is dealt with responsibly and effectively, with appropriate risk management and reporting systems in place. All staff know that they must avoid situations of actual or potential conflict of interest and that, if such a situation does arise, it must be reported so that steps can be taken to manage the situation.
Compliance with law, transparency and competition
We are committed to carrying out our business with integrity, in a fair, open and honest manner and in full compliance with our legal obligations.
We support free and fair competition and strive to deal with all parties fairly and equitably. We will not make untrue or misleading statements about our competitors. Nor will we put up barriers to switching providers.
We will not conduct business which is unlawful, fraudulent or corrupt and will pursue all legal remedies against third parties and staff involved in such activities, including bribery and modern slavery.
Complaints
We take all complaints seriously; we will treat all complainants fairly and deal with their complaints reasonably and promptly.
We aim to resolve all concerns to a complainant’s satisfaction and learn lessons from the complaint so that we can improve our service in the future.
Any current or former member or any prospective member (or a third party on behalf of any of these) can raise a matter with us either in person, in writing or by phone. All complaints will be:
- Treated seriously and fairly
- Treated confidentially
- Will be handled promptly in a clear and transparent manner
- Investigated competently, diligently and impartially
- Thoroughly examined to identify any trends that we need to address.
You can find out more information on how to make a comment or complaint about any aspect of the service you have received from MDDUS on our website here or by contacting Customer Services on 0333 043 4444, quoting your membership number.