MPS responds to DH report on Medical Innovation Bill – the Bill is still unnecessary
Post date: 30/07/2014 | Time to read article: 1 minsThe information within this article was correct at the time of publishing. Last updated 14/11/2018
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is interested to see that the Government is proposing amendments to reduce the risks of the Medical Innovation Bill; however it still believes the Bill is unnecessary.
Dr Nick Clements, Head of Medical Services at MPS said, "MPS welcomes safeguards to reduce the risk of the Bill inadvertently endangering patients and inhibiting innovation and we will review the Government’s amendments carefully; however, we still believe the Bill is unnecessary.
MPS has extensive experience of dealing with clinical negligence issues and we see no evidence that the fear of being sued is a barrier to responsible medical innovation. The law already allows doctors to innovate without fear of litigation, as long as they have the patient’s consent and the support of other doctors.
"We have concerns that the Bill could allow doctors to bypass valuable processes for medical innovation such as clinical trials, meaning that effective treatments could be dismissed and dangerous treatments are advocated."
More information
For further information or to interview Dr Clements please contact Kim Watson, Media Relations Manager at MPS on +44 207 399 1428 or email [email protected]
Notes to editors
Department of Health’s report on the consultation on the Medical Innovation Bill: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/medical-innovation-proposals-to-make-clinical-negligence-law-clearer
