Healthcare Solicitor - In-House MPS

Company: Medical Protection Society
Job Title: Healthcare Solicitor (Claims Manager)
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom (1 day a week in the office)
Salary: Very Competitive + Bonus

CapeClarke is exclusively retained by Medical Protection Society with regards to its search for a new Healthcare Solicitor (Claims Manager) for its newly refurbished office in Central Leeds.

About the Firm

Medical Protection Society are the world’s leading member-owned, not-for-profit protection organisation for doctors, dentists, and healthcare professionals.

Founded in 1892, they exist to protect and support the professional interests of almost 300,000 members around the world, helping them to understand and navigate the ongoing challenges of modern practice. Today they proudly support members in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
Their in-house experts can assist members with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that can arise from their professional practice. This can include assistance with clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests, and fatal accident inquiries.

At the MPS their philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. They do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, e-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures, and presentations. They also actively campaign for regulatory and legal reforms that benefit members and the wider healthcare professions.

Role & Responsibilities

The primary duties of the Claims Manager (Healthcare Solicitor) are as follows:

Service Delivery:

• Deliver the performance of assigned claims files in accordance with governance, policy and process ensuring quality and fair outcomes for the member and the membership fund
• Where applicable, deliver regulated claims activities which complies with the necessary regulatory standards for operating in Lloyd’s markets.
• Proactively manage assigned claims files and work effectively to deliver within agreed SLAs ensuring maximum efficiency is achieved through ensuring strategies and case plans are in place, whilst providing an excellent service to the member.
• Use technical expertise and commercial judgement to adopt a strategic approach to claims resolution whilst providing outstanding levels of service to the MPS membership
• Support Claims Handling projects/initiatives ensuring delivery of projects to time, cost and quality - delivering a return on investment

Financial:

• Manage all spend incurred serving members in accordance with MPS organisation governance and policy
• Minimise claims costs by setting accurate claims estimates and proactively managing estimates, challenging costs and invoices from all third parties
• Determine the level of member assistance to be granted in accordance with the membership policy and escalate claims cases where out of policy discretion requires consideration.

Member:

• Manage informal complaints / expressions of dissatisfaction to achieve first touch resolution for our members and in accordance with policy standards and process ensuring fair outcomes for members, the membership fund
• Seek opportunities to continuously improve ways of working and contribute to team, department and divisional continuous improvement projects aimed to drive operational efficiency and great member experiences and outcomes
• Always deliver good outcomes for members and compliance with associated policies and standards set out by Council, its committees and delegated authorities Using the most appropriate channel of communications, keep members regularly informed ensuring the advice and support reflects policy, relevant codes of practice, is technically accurate and with outcomes delivered in a professional and empathetic manner.

People:

• Take accountability for own training, competence, performance and engagement of self and colleagues ensuring clarity on own accountabilities and comply with all governance, legislation, policy standards and processes.
• Take learnings from all Quality Monitoring and Outcome and Quality Assurance results to enhance own performance and quality service and outcomes for members
• Build key relationships with internal and external stakeholders as necessary, liaising on claims to enhance quality service and outcomes for members
• As own competence develops, coach, mentor and actively share learnings, knowledge and best practice with colleagues.
• Take an active role in promoting a more inclusive environment, which aligns with our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

Risk:

• Identify and report risks and issues identified within Claims Handling and across MPS to enable resolution and mitigation of potential impact on MPS, members and colleagues.
• Adhere to appropriate business policies, processes, controls and regulatory requirements (as applicable) to ensure claims handling within risk appetite
• Make key claims handling decisions and use own judgement on when to escalate to the appropriate teams, considering the requirements of the individual case and member
• Comply with applicable professional ethical guidance and all relevant internal policy and procedures, including those relating to health and safety, data protection, IT security and all those contained within the staff handbook

Responsibilities:

• Provide cross team and departmental support where required to ensure KPIs are met and service standards are maintained
• Support decision making in key internal governance meetings by representing the member voice and ensuring technical input is considered on matters; for high profile cases ensure the reputation of MPS is protected
• Support the management of external and internal stakeholders by advocating the service delivered by MP&S; contribute with technical input into articles, webinars and presenting at conferences and support Claims Assistants in their development.
• Undertake other duties and tasks that from time to time may be allocated to the jobholder that are appropriate to the grade or role
• Engages constructively with cultural and strategic changes taking place across the business.

More detail can be found in the job description.

The candidate

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 4-12 years post-qualification experience in handling clinical negligence healthcare matters. The MPS will consider candidates who have either claimant or defendant healthcare clinical negligence experience.