We've all done it – given colleagues their flu vaccinations and ensured that they are up-to-date with their measles, mumps and rubella and hepatitis B status. However, as I am sure you are all aware, from 1 April 2019 NHS Resolution has been operating a new state indemnity scheme for general practice in England called the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) (Royal College of Nursing, 2019). This replaces practice nurses' existing indemnity insurance.
The CNSGP will provide fully comprehensive indemnity for all claims within its scope. It covers activities that are commissioned under a general medical service, personal medical service or alternative provider medical service contracts, or under a contract for the provision of enhanced primary care under Schedule 2L of the NHS Standard Contract (each a primary care contract). Cover also extends to services that are delivered under a direct sub-contract to a primary care contract. In either case, all staff of the organisation contracted to deliver the care and who provide care will receive cover under CNSGP.
It is important for readers to note that CNSGP provides cover for clinical negligence liabilities. Even if you are covered by CNSGP, you may still want to consider whether alternative indemnity arrangement is required in relation to other risks or liabilities that may arise, for example fitness-to-practise investigations and inquests.
As set out on the NHS Resolution website, CNSGP does not cover occupational types of activities, where staff members are not registered patients of the practice. With the Royal College of Nursing withdrawing cover for practice nurses in 2011 and the new scheme not covering us for this activity, where does this leave general practice nurses? Do we register all staff as temporary patients? Do we send them back to their own GP or to your local occupational health provider?
On a more positive note, the Royal College of Nursing (2019) will cover their members for any good Samaritan acts – and they have extended the scheme now to cover private travel vaccinations too. However, practice nurses are not covered by the NHS resolution CNSGP if you were to act as an appraiser, good Samaritan acts, occupational health including any injections for practice staff and private travel vaccinations.
Further information on the scope of cover of CNSGP can be found on this website, which is being regularly updated – https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/clinical-schemes/clinical-negligence-scheme-for-general-practice/. We would like to hear how you have or will be managing this within your practices. Email pn@markallengroup.com
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