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Enquire about Membership

Medical Indemnity
Insurance for Ophthalmologists

The AOO Specialist Indemnity Scheme (AOOSIS) is a member organisation which provides access to dedicated medical indemnity policies for Ophthalmologists working in private practice. Policies are also available for Ophthalmologists working solely in the NHS who wish to have independent cover and for trainees.  AOOSIS is an introducer appointed representative of Medical Insurance Consultants Ltd (MIC) who provide the policy advice and administration for the insurance policies offered to members.

AOOSIS members have access to multiple indemnity policies that can provide the following

  • Cover up to £10,000,000
  • Medicolegal Claims arising from ophthalmic care
  • Legal support for NHS Trust disciplinary action or GMC complaints or investigations
  • In-house medico-legal advice, backed up by 24/7 Medical Legal Advice line and subsequent legal support from professionals with extensive experience of ophthalmic claims
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The Benefits

Members are provided with contractual indemnity for clinical negligence and public liability claims rather than discretionary support, as well a minimum of 21 years run off cover following death or retirement from practice.

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24/7 Medico-Legal Advice

In-house medico-legal advice and assistance from experienced solicitors

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Ophthalmology specific cover

Policies meet the requirements of all independent sector hospitals

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Security

Security of a contract of insurance with guaranteed rather than discretionary cover

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Our Areas of Expertise

Association of Ophthalmologists Specialist Indemnity Scheme

General Medical Council Investigations
General Medical Council Investigations

Support for clinicians through the complex process of a GMC investigation.

Challenges of Private Medical Insurance
Challenges of Private Medical Insurance

Support for clinicians ranging from simpler tasks like responding to complaints, through to complex support for formal litigation.

Identifying and managing GDPR Risks in Private Practice
Identifying and managing GDPR Risks in Private Practice

Support and advice for clinicians faced with managing data breaches.

 

Association of Ophthalmologists Specialist Indemnity Scheme

  • To be available to give general advice to potential new members
  • To support members who are in difficulty with medicolegal cases
  • To set a code of practice for members to adhere to as closely as possible
  • To advise brokers and underwriters on the relative risk of different aspects of clinical practice
  • To try to reduce premium costs by appropriate risk management
  • To communicate with members by newsletters, webinars and meetings.
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Meet the Board

Keith Bates
Keith Bates

MA, FRCS (London), FRCOphth Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Chairman AOOSIS Board

Keith Bates

MA, FRCS (London), FRCOphth Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Chairman AOOSIS Board

Bio: Keith trained in Oxford and at Moorfields and was a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Taunton and Somerset NHSFT from 1992 until 2018. He was Clinical Director for the Specialist Surgery Division for 6 years. He has published widely on cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. He has presented papers and been involved in courses at RCO, UKISCRS, ESCRS, ASCRS and AAO annual congresses.

He now principally runs a busy medico legal practice but is also an ophthalmic advisor to a leading Private Medical Insurer and to the GMC. This gives him a broad insight into current ophthalmic medico legal issues in the UK. He joined the board of AOOSIS in 2013 and took over the role of Chairman in 2017.

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Richard Packard

MD DO FRCS FRCOphth FEBOS-CR Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon President AOOSIS

Richard Packard

MD DO FRCS FRCOphth FEBOS-CR Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon President AOOSIS

Bio: Richard was senior consultant at Arnott Eye Associates in London until 2020. He was a consultant surgeon at the Prince Charles Eye Unit in Windsor from 1982-2016 and has been involved with teaching cataract surgery and developing instruments and IOLs and has lectured in over 60 countries. He has been in private practice since 1981 in London and Berkshire and was Chairman of the Association of Ophthalmologists from 2007-2011.

Since 2007 he has been involved with the Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations and since 2010 had been its Deputy Chairman. He is now FIPO Chairman. He was involved in providing evidence for the CMA report on private practice and the ramifications of this for the profession. He was the founding member of AOOSIS in 2012 and its first Chairman. He is now AOOSIS president.

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sid Goel
Sid Goel

FRCOphth. PGDipCRS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Sid Goel

FRCOphth. PGDipCRS, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Bio: Sid has been a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon since 2008. His practice is divided between his NHS role at the Hull Eye Hospital and a busy independent practice based in the North of England – The Eye Correction Centre, of which he is the founder director.

He has served/continues to serve in numerous Regional/National roles including: Examiner for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists part 2 and LRSCert examinations (2020 onwards), Clinical lead for the private patient board of Lindsey Private Patients (2018 – 2019), Clinical lead for Ophthalmology at St Hugh’s private hospital (2017 onwards), Member of the Council of Governors of the Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS trust (2015 to 2017), Committee member of the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and lead for the young ophthalmologists subcommittee (2013-2018). He joined the Board of AOOSIS in 2017.

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Stephanie West
Stephanie West

BM FRCOphth MBA Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Stephanie West

BM FRCOphth MBA Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Bio: Stephanie is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Southampton University Foundation trust; she has held this position since 2013 during which time she has been Deputy Clinical Lead and Clinical Lead for the department.

After graduating from Southampton University Medical School, Miss West completed specialist ophthalmology training in the highly regarded centres of Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham and The Bristol Eye Hospital. She subsequently undertook two years of subspecialty training in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus including a prestigious fellowship at Sickkids, Toronto, for which she was awarded the JD Morin prize for best fellow. Her second fellowship was at Moorfields Eye Hospital, gaining extensive knowledge and training in treating children’s eye diseases and oculomotility conditions. She now leads the tertiary oculomotility service in Southampton. She is also responsible for instigating the now renowned Southampton CESR training program. She has a MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School.

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Niall Patton
Niall Patton

MD, FRCOphth Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Niall Patton

MD, FRCOphth Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Bio: Niall is a Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. He is also Director of the Manchester Vitreoretinal Fellowship Program, training many fellows both national and international. He graduated in Medicine from the University of Manchester in 1996. He completed his ophthalmic surgical training at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, Edinburgh. In addition, he has undertaken specialist Vitreoretinal fellowship training at the Lions Eye Institute, Australia, Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, Edinburgh, Tennant Eye Institute, Glasgow and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He was appointed as a Consultant at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital in 2008.

He has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications, and serves on the editorial board of the “Eye” journal and is active in the vitreoretinal research department at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. He lectures nationally and internationally and has been actively engaged in medico legal work since his appointment as a consultant.

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Mayank A. Nanavaty

MBBS, DO, FRCOphth, PhD, cataract, cornea and refractive surgery Consultant

Mayank A. Nanavaty

MBBS, DO, FRCOphth, PhD, cataract, cornea and refractive surgery Consultant

Bio: He is cataract, cornea and refractive surgery Consultant at the Sussex Eye Hospital, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Brighton and honorary senior clinical lecturer at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School. His areas of clinical interests are medical and surgical cornea, external eye disease, cataract, and refractive surgery. He has received several research grants from the prestigious institutions (such as ESCRS, NIHR, etc.) and industry to conduct clinical studies. He consistently contributes to the academia with his publications and has several publications including prospective randomized controlled trials, Cochrane review, case-control studies, cohort studies and retrospective studies in high impact peer-review literature and over 300 national and international presentations.

He is a section editor of Eye and is a member of editorial board of Current Eye Research and International journal of keratoconus and ectatic corneal disease (IJKECD).

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Meet the MIC Medico- Legal Expert

Emily is a legally qualified adviser and provides expert support in a wide range of scenarios including medico-legal advice queries, regulatory matters (e.g. GMC inquiries) and clinical negligence claims..

Emily supports the AOOSIS Clinical Board to monitor trends in ophthalmic claims & notifications to insurers.

Emily’s team is available 24-7 to provide expert support to clients in need.

Emily Borhan
Senior Medico-legal Adviser, MIC
Phone: ‪+44 (0)333 240 8979
Email: medicolegal@m-i-c.co.uk

Client Testimonials

I’ve been very impressed with the way Simon has helped me get a very competitive quote for my medical indemnity. He has always been informative and answered all my queries. Trying to find the best indemnity is always tricky for any consultant and Simon has been very supportive throughout my journey. I in fact was going to go with another broker and company, however after speaking to Simon, I felt that he understood the whole process  better and I decided to switch to him. Subsequently, I’m very happy with the cover he’s acquired for me.

He’s very professional and kind as well as very quick to respond. He even emailed me on Sunday in order to get me a quote quickly!  I would highly recommend him to all my colleagues and friends.

MB

The MIC team and their medicolegal adviser have been extremely helpful to me for support and guidance whenever I have needed it. They are prompt to respond and very thorough. The support I have received has been outstanding in comparison to my previous insurers. The insurance premium negotiated for me by MIC has also been far more reasonable compared to what I have had to pay in the past. I am very satisfied and intend to carry on as a long-term member.

SG

Having originally been with a medical defence organisation, about 10 years ago I contacted AOOSIS, as I was concerned that the defence organisation was not able to guarantee coverage, being a discretionary-based provider. This contrasted with the policy arranged for me by MIC, a guaranteed non-discretionary service, that offers certainty for ophthalmologists. Over the past ten years, I have found their quotations very competitive, their medicolegal advice first class, and their understanding of the nuances of ophthalmic practice unparalleled among all providers, and am delighted with the service they provide.

NP

I joined AOOSIS many years ago after a poor experience with the MPS where I struggled to receive prompt and accurate advice on a problem. This led me to look elsewhere for indemnity cover.

The reason I joined AOOSIS was that as an organisation focused on ophthalmology I felt they had a clear understanding of ophthalmology and medicolegal issues rather than just medicolegal advice. As a small organisation with a dedicated legal team I have found that they do indeed have a clear understanding of ophthalmology and are responsive and effective.

The terms of the indemnity cover are clear and thorough in contrast with guaranteed cover in contrast to a discretionary based insurer.

RM

PHONE : +44 (0)333 240 8979
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