To meet General Dental Council (GDC) requirements, all Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) must hold appropriate indemnity cover and be able to provide evidence of this. Many dental care professionals understand the consequences of failing to declare indemnity cover during annual renewal, such as the risk of removal from the GDC register, without fully realising the benefits and level of protection indemnity insurance provides.
Whether you are a newly qualified dental nurse exploring your insurance cover options, looking to switch provider for your dental nurse insurance, or simply wanting to better understand your required protection, it’s important to know what your policy covers should an incident occur.
What is Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance?
When providing patient care, mistakes can sometimes happen, or a patient may feel dissatisfied with the outcome. Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance is a form of professional protection that safeguards you if a claim is made by a patient relating to your clinical treatment or professional advice as a dental nurse (1). This represents the minimum requirements set by the General Dental Council.
Some dental nurses choose policies that offer additional protection, such as cover for specific extended duties or legal costs associated with a GDC investigation. This is because dental nurses are professionally accountable for their own actions, even when working under the direction of a dentist, and the dental practice may not be able to provide support in the event of a claim.
Who Requires Indemnity Insurance?
Dental practices can have an array of both clinical and non-clinical staff. Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance is a standalone policy and is separate from a dentist’s indemnity cover. MIAB is able to arrange dental nurse indemnity insurance for the following dental care professionals:
- Dental Nurses
- Dental Hygienists
- Dental Therapists
- Orthodontic Therapists
- Dental Technicians
- Clinical Dental Technicians
By sourcing individual cover, dental nurses do not need to rely on their practice to arrange or confirm indemnity on their behalf. If adequate cover is not in place, this may result in GDC investigation.
What Is Covered?
A typical Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance policy from a specialist provider will cover your professional duties as a dental nurse. When reviewing a policy, you may wish to check for:
- A limit of indemnity that meets GDC minimum standards. MIAB policies typically range from £1 million to £5 million.
- Cover for your duties as a dental nurse, including clinical treatment and professional advice.
- Extensions for additional duties, such as processing radiographs or taking impressions.
- A certificate of indemnity as evidence for the GDC.
- Whether the policy is provided on a claims-made or claims-occurrence basis.
Other Key Features of MIAB’s Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance
Alongside your certificate of indemnity, you will receive full policy documentation outlining your cover and any additional benefits. When developing MIAB’s Dental Nurse Indemnity policy, we included features that dental nurses frequently request:
- Cover that is not restricted to a single practice, suitable for agency or locum dental nurses (subject to individual circumstances).
- Free retroactive cover available on request, providing peace of mind for work carried out prior to the policy inception date.
If your professional circumstances or duties differ from the standard policy, you can book a discussion of your dental nurse insurance (UK) with one of our specialist insurance advisers during our regular working hours to make sure you are happy with your level of cover. Alternatively, call 01438 547044 or email info@miab.co.uk.
MIAB’s Dental Nurse Indemnity Insurance starts from £61, subject to a full quotation. To obtain a quote and purchase cover instantly, visit our online Quote and Buy site.
https://miab.quoteandbuy.net/?action=pageone&combo_id=121ty-insurance-quote/
1) https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/blog/dental-nurse-indemnity-what-you-need-to-know/
