The importance of good, clear and thorough medical records cannot be underestimated - not only do they ensure the smooth running of your day-to-day life in practice; they might prove invaluable in the event of a claim.

According to a recent study, patients displaying ‘difficult’ behaviour increase GPs’ risk of getting a diagnosis wrong. Kirsty Plowman reports

By many measures, healthcare has never been safer: it is a safer time to have a baby or an anaesthetic or indeed a better time to have a heart attack, and yet as a GP you are more likely to be sued than ever before. Kirsty Plowman reports

Dr Walter Scott FRCGP LL.B(Hons), a general practitioner and Medical Protection member working for Beacon out of hours (OOH) service on the Isle of Wight, highlights the importance of recording accurate and comprehensive notes during OOH care.

Dr Zaid Al-Najjar, a practicing GP and Medicolegal Adviser at Medical Protection, considers the risks that GPs should watch out for when undertaking out of hours (OOH) work.

Medical Protection is committed to speaking up for members and raising concerns at the highest level.

Doctors who received training to improve their communication skills report a significantly lower rate of difficult interactions.

Patient dissatisfaction with the decision making process about their treatment options can increase the risk of complaints or claims against a doctor.

The CSA is a comprehensive and intense examination of your clinical skills. Emedica’s Dr Mahibur Rahman shares his secrets to help you pass.

The GMC is introducing a new revalidation assessment next year for doctors based overseas and those not currently undertaking medical practice to support their revalidation.

Have you been allocated a responsible officer? Are you familiar with the RCGP’s credit system? If not, read medicolegal adviser and portfolio GP Dr Rachel Birch’s shares her practical revalidation checklist

Recruitment is becoming harder these days so to attract the best staff it’s worth spending a bit of time to write a great advert for your vacancy. If you create a template, some information will stay the same no matter what role you are advertising.

We have written to invite a member of staff to a formal capability hearing after a period of informal professional support. He is now off work sick. What is the appropriate course of action for us?

Brain cancer accounts for quarter of all childhood cancers, yet many GPs may still not have experience of the condition. Dr Rachel Birch outlines a case where diagnosis could have been made earlier

Medicolegal Adviser Dr Marika Davies explains how to maintain professionalism when dealing with trivial requests from patients

CQC compliance topped a recent Medical Protection survey of practice managers’ main concerns. We profile a practice who were recently inspected by the CQC, and interview two inspection managers about how practices can prepare for the process

Professionalism - References

Text messaging allows practices to target and contact hundreds of patients within minutes. Patients can respond by text with replies automatically forwarded to a specified email address. Many practices are signing up to using a text messaging service to inform patients of appointments, flu vaccinations, etc.