In modern general practice, the pattern of GP work is changing. More GPs are diversifying their work, pursuing rewarding portfolio careers that combine their traditional clinical role with additional professional work.
If you are one of those GPs, our Specialist Portfolio Membership is built for you, offering flexible and personalised indemnity to cover the full scope of your work, whatever professional opportunities you take on.
Whether you want to develop your expertise in an established specialist area, or pioneer new models of care in an emerging field, we can tailor your indemnity membership and offer advice to give you confidence to practice as your career evolves.
If you are thinking of embarking on a new portfolio career or looking for information about indemnity cover for your additional roles, read on for some important FAQ…
Why should I consider a portfolio career?
A portfolio career can be highly rewarding for GPs at any stage, whether newly qualified, mid-career, or transitioning from full-time practice. It can provide opportunities to gain fresh perspectives, expand skillsets, and achieve greater fulfilment and work-life balance.
Portfolio working may be for you, if you are seeking:
- Greater professional satisfaction through exciting new challenges such as managerial, leadership or teaching roles.
- Roles that enable you to undertake specialist training or explore emerging innovations in healthcare, such as digital health or health tech.
- A more flexible working pattern, creating time to pursue personal goals.
- A sustainable alternative to the unrelenting pressure of your traditional clinical work, with greater autonomy and flexibility over both the type and pattern of your work.
- A route to continue in general practice and supplement your income when the supply of traditional clinical roles is limited.
- New opportunities to broaden your skills, enrich your CV, and future-proof your career.
Talk to us at Medical Defense Society if you need advice about starting a portfolio career.
What roles could I take on as a portfolio GP?
Most portfolio GPs continue to do some NHS clinical work, but schedules can vary widely according to individual interests and circumstances. Part-time, sessional or locum GP work are often the base for a portfolio career, combined with additional roles that may be clinical or non-clinical.
If you are looking for additional clinical roles, there are many to choose from, such as:
- GP with a Special Interest (GPwSI)
- GP with Extended Role (GPwER)
- Out-of-hours GP
- Telemedicine
- Private clinic
- Other specialist areas such as secondary care; palliative medicine; occupational health; police, prison or forensics work; armed forces; or in sports, travel or events medicine.
You could also consider a wide variety of non-clinical roles, including in:
- Medical education and training
- Leadership, management and governance
- Research, academia, industry and public health
- Media, communication and writing
- Innovation, business and technology
- Community and voluntary engagement.
At Medical Defense Society, our Specialist Portfolio Membership is available for a variety of roles, and we are always open to discussing how we can help you if you take on a new portfolio role.
How do I get started in a portfolio career?
With a huge variety of professional opportunities available, there is no structured route into a portfolio career. Undertake some research and career planning at the outset, to find out which roles would suit your interests, working style, skills and needs. Then aim to design a schedule that provides your ideal mix of roles across the working week.
Like many GPs, you may want to start gradually, piloting an additional role and building up the work if you find the experience rewarding. Avoid overcommitting initially, so that the additional burdens do not become overwhelming.
Networking is a good way to find opportunities, and an inspiring mentor could guide you from the start. Work shadowing, volunteering, or short-term contracts are excellent ways to gain experience and demonstrate skills that could open doors.
Important considerations include training requirements, finances and ensuring full indemnity coverage for every professional role. Take time to understand the accounting implications, including how portfolio roles would affect your tax liabilities and pension savings. Seek a professional financial adviser with expertise in the healthcare sector.
For professional advice about indemnity cover, talk to us at Medical Defense Society.
Do my current indemnity arrangements cover portfolio work?
Be aware that indemnity cover for traditional, clinical roles within NHS primary care may not extend to all aspects of a portfolio career. Without cover for the full scope of your work, you could be unprotected if you ever face legal or regulatory challenges.
The state-backed Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) provides clinical negligence cover for NHS work in England and Wales, and other employers may offer their own indemnity arrangements. However, as a portfolio GP, you must check whether you need supplementary wrap-around cover for work in your additional roles. This may include non-NHS work, non-clinical roles, jobs with different employers or in different locations.
Get in touch at Medical Defense Society to evaluate your portfolio indemnity needs, on an annual basis and whenever the scope of your work changes. We will help you avoid any gaps in cover and ensure that you are not paying for protection you don’t need.
What indemnity cover does Medical Defense Society provide for portfolio GPs?
At Medical Defense Society, we offer Specialist Portfolio Membership, a flexible and all-inclusive service that can adapt to suit your needs as your career evolves. Our service caters to a variety of roles, including:
- Women’s Health
- Men’s Health
- Sports Medicine
- Lifestyle & Functional Medicine
- Weight Loss
- Occupational Health
- Facial Aesthetics
- Medico-Legal Reports
- Health Assessment/Medicals
Because our indemnity is occurrence-based, you can have peace of mind knowing there are no run-off fees in the future. Your cover remains valid for your membership period, even if you move on, change profession, or retire.
Our goal is to offer membership fees that remain affordable while maintaining our exceptional standard of service and customer care. You can work confidently in your portfolio roles, knowing our medico-legal advisers are available 24/7 to provide expert support and guidance.
Can I start a new portfolio role whenever I want?
We understand that a portfolio career can be unpredictable, offering short-term opportunities that are simply too good to pass up, and a mix of professional roles throughout the year. While some indemnity providers restrict members to just two or three quotes annually, at Medical Defense Society we are happy to provide as many quotes as you need, whenever you take on a new role. Plus, we never charge admin fees for this, allowing our members to start multiple Specialist Portfolio Memberships within the same year.
Can you provide indemnity cover for portfolio roles in emerging specialist fields?
General practice is changing fast, and new focus areas, such as digital health, are becoming mainstream faster than ever before. We know that portfolio GPs frequently struggle to find indemnity for these areas and they are often made to pay a premium.
With Medical Defense Society, we cater for these emerging specialisms. Even if the role you take on is not listed on our website, we would be happy to discuss how we can tailor our cover for you. For example, we recently provided free cover for four weeks to a GP member who was acting as a consultant for a healthcare AI company.
So, whether you are expanding your clinical expertise into a new specialist area or pursuing a non-clinical role, we will ensure you are fully covered – simply, efficiently and without fuss. We welcome GPs who are developing new portfolio areas so that we can build products that support them in delivering the best care for their patients.
At Medical Defense Society, we listen and respond to your needs, working with you to provide personalised indemnity cover that evolves with your career. For peace of mind, give us a call and ensure that you are covered for all your roles in a way that truly meets your needs.
