Medical Defence Union

Medical Defence Union
Company typePrivate limited company
IndustryProfessional indemnity
Founded23 October 1885; 139 years ago (1885-10-23)[1]
HeadquartersCanary Wharf, London, United Kingdom
Key people
Dr Matthew Lee
(Chief executive)
Dr Paul Riordan-Eva
(President)
Number of employees
420
Websitethemdu.com

The Medical Defence Union (MDU) is one of three major medical defence organisations (MDOs) in the United Kingdom, offering professional medical indemnity for clinical negligence claims and advice provided by medico-legal experts for its members.[2][3][4] It is a mutual not for profit organisation.[5]

The MDU was established in 1885 and was the first of its kind in the world. As of January 2022 it has around 200,000 members: doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare professionals.[6] The Dental Defence Union (DDU) is the specialist dental division of the MDU.

  1. ^ "The Medical Defence Union Ltd Plc".
  2. ^ "MDU". Europa Medica. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  3. ^ "Medical Defence Union (MDU) - Bankside Law". www.banksidelaw.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  4. ^ "Medical defence". BMJ. 1 (6077): 1615–1616. 25 June 1977. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.6077.1615. PMC 1607772. PMID 871693.
  5. ^ Cottrell, Elizabeth; Stanley, Andrew (2009). The Medical Student Career Handbook. Radcliffe Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84619-304-0.
  6. ^ Gregory, Andrew (17 January 2022). "One in four NHS doctors tired to the point of impairment, survey finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2023.