The Benevolent Fund was established sometime in the early part of the last century and revised into its present form in 1949 shortly after the NHS was established. It was set up as a charity but run essentially as an old fashioned mutual insurance fund. GPs were invited to make contributions to buildup a capital sum that could be used for three purposes:
- On behalf of a GP or his or her dependents who had at any time practiced as a GP in Somerset who was, in the opinion of the trustees, in need of assistance.
- To contribute to the medical school education costs of any dependent child of such a practitioner who is reading medicine.
- To make contributions to any other medical charity as deemed fit by the trustees
The LMC appoints trustees from amongst its elected members and the LMC office provides the secretariat.
Over the years calls on the Fund have reduced as doctors benefited from better working conditions and insurance arrangements, and in the mid 1996 the last remaining contributions were ended as the Fund had accumulated over £500,000 in capital.
Under Charity Commission rules, the trustees are expected to ensure that the income of the fund is used and not just allowed to build up. They are keen that any eligible doctor – and this included registrars, retained doctors, and sessional GPs – is aware of the Fund and that anyone who knows of a doctor who is facing difficulty due to illness or other personal circumstances is encouraged to make contact with the LMC Secretary to see if the Fund can help. The trustees emphasise that they do not expect a doctor to be in dire straits before making an approach. The resources of the fund are there to be used by any GP facing extra costs, including locum expenses, due to unforeseen circumstances. Applications are not means tested but the trustees may ask for some background information about PCT sickness payments and insurance income where appropriate. Please note that the Fund is not a substitute for adequate locum insurance arrangements.
Recent payments include
- Contribution to the locum costs of a young GP undergoing a cardiac procedure
- Support for a sick GP unable to get locum insurance due to pre-existing illness
- Financial help for a sessional GP unable to work after a road accident
- Donation towards costs of a doctor absent from work to care for a sick relative
The trustees also make an automatic death in service payment to the dependents of any GP working in Somerset at the time.
The residual income for the year is donated to various medical charities. In the last year sums went to the Cameron fund (The BMA GP Charity), and Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Further information is available from the LMC office or in confidence from the LMC Medical Director Catherine.ievers1@nhs.net.