Clinical negligence indemnity promise welcomed by Welsh GPs

Health boards in many parts of Wales have been struggling to cope with a shortage of GPs

GPs in Wales facing insurance costs of up to £15,000 a year have been told the Welsh Government will help fund it.

Hospital doctors are already covered for clinical negligence indemnity, and a deal had already been struck by UK ministers for GPs in England.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said the move from April 2019 would help attract more GPs to work in Wales.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the news was good for the morale of 3,000 Welsh GPs and their teams.

The Welsh Government-backed scheme will cover all contracted GPs and other health professionals working in NHS general practice, such as nurses and pharmacists, against claims from patients if treatment goes wrong.

It will come into effect at the same time as the scheme in England, and is intended to be as similar as possible to prevent any disadvantage to working in Wales.

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"We have listened to GPs' concerns," Mr Gething said.

"We understand the impact rising professional indemnity costs is having on the workforce and the potential for future pressure if different indemnity practices were in place in England and Wales."

The minister said the announcement "further demonstrates our commitment to invest in primary care in Wales and attract more GPs to work in Wales, helping us to make sure our health service is sustainable in the long-term".

"I hope today's announcement gives reassurance to our hard-working GP workforce," he added.

Dr Peter Horvath-Howard, deputy chairman of the BMA's general practitioners' committee for Wales, said the deal would go "a long way to equalising the situation" between the nations and different health professions.

He said a full-time GP currently faced insurance costs of £13-£15,000 and rising, claiming there was "plenty" of evidence that it was putting new recruits off general practice.

"We are halfway through a two-year period of negotiation for a new contract for Welsh general practitioners, and the issue of indemnity comes up again and again", he told BBC Radio Wales.

"This has become a huge sustainability issue for recruitment and retention.

"Patients in Wales want to keep their local surgeries alive and thriving, and from the Welsh general practitioners' committee view we really welcome this positive move."