Legal & General Insurance has announced the appointment of Dr Tarun Gupta to the role of medical officer (MO).

An NHS GP, Clinical Commissioner and Occupational Physician, he will provide medical opinion on complex group risk cases to help improve decision-making and thought leadership on clinical issues.

Dr Gupta currently serves as Clinical Lead for Mental Health for the largest CCG in England, GP Reference Panel and Committee Member for NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) on clinical guidelines and as Specialist Advisor to CQC (Care Quality Commission).

Outside of the NHS, Dr Gupta serves as an Occupational Physician to several large and SME clients across a range of sectors, from autos to financial services.

Vanessa Sallows, claims and governance director at Legal & General, said: “I am delighted to welcome Tarun to the group protection team. He joins at a time when the NHS primary care sector is seeing monumental change in the way it operates. And at a time when occupational health is also shifting focus, becoming more focused on prevention to help meet employer and societal healthcare goals. Tarun’s experience here will prove invaluable, as will his ongoing support to the claims team which will include training as well as complex case reviews.”

Dr Gupta added: “I am thrilled to join Legal & General and look forward to working with the underwriting and claims teams as they continue to build on the level of technical expertise they provide their clients and expand their proposition further.

“The demands on clinicians are changing and I believe we all need to have not just up-to-date knowledge of the latest evidence-base for clinical problems, but also a much greater understanding of the macro environment our working age patients face to be truly effective. I believe my role in the private sector compliments my NHS work in this context and I look forward to sharing this experience with the team.”