Medical Indemnity Insurance, sometimes referred to as Medical Malpractice Insurance, is an essential form of protection for healthcare professionals. Whether you’re a surgeon, dentist, pharmacist, general practitioner or another type of healthcare professional, it is often a requirement from your regulator to have Medical Indemnity Insurance in place.
This article serves as an overview about what Medical Indemnity Insurance covers, ideal for those new to the topic, have taken a new role or are reviewing their current cover. It is intended for general information only and does not constitute advice. An insurance adviser is able to provide proper guidance and determine if your indemnity arrangement is appropriate, especially for ever-changing regulations.
Defining Medical Indemnity Insurance
Medical Indemnity Insurance is a form of Professional Indemnity Insurance, providing cover for professionals who offer advice or services which could inadvertently lead to poor advice, breach of duty and, ultimately, a negligence claim against the professional from a client or patient.
Medical malpractice insurance is a specialist type of indemnity that is more specific to medical duties, requirements and clinical negligence claims. Key covers may include negligence claims arising from physical injury, illness or death; as well as the covers for advice-based services included in a typical Professional Indemnity policy.
A limit of indemnity is decided between you and your insurance adviser, to cover the legal and compensation costs in the event of a claim.
Specifics about what’s included within your Medical Indemnity Insurance cover will depend on your provider and the role or organisation you are arranging insurance for. You should always review your policy documents carefully.
Contract-Certain Cover
There are few providers to choose from for your Medical Indemnity Insurance, all offering different benefits.
By choosing an insurance broker, such as MIAB, will mean that your cover will benefit from the natural contract-certainty of insurance.
Having contract-certain cover in place can offer healthcare professionals peace of mind because the policy details are laid out in your specific contract and there is a written agreement by the insurer to pay out a claim if the policy is triggered. Any exclusions will be found in your documents and a MIAB handler will be accessible to discuss the details in full, either over the phone or via email.
Alternative providers may include:
Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP): this is the state-backed cover for GPs and staff working in general practice, which is provided specifically for NHS duties and activities. It does not provide cover for private activities, even when operating within a general practice. For example, chargeable services such as vaccinations, reports and statements, Good Samaritan Acts or Coroners Inquests. You are automatically enrolled with this cover for NHS activities.
Medical Defence Organisation (MDO): are membership bodies offering indemnity on a discretionary basis. Rather than contract-certain, indemnity offered on a discretionary basis will be honoured on a case-by-case basis with the MDO’s. Professionals may lose certainty that their claim will be covered.
Individual and Group Cover
Our Medical Malpractice team at MIAB, are specialists in arranging medical indemnity cover for both individuals and whole organisations. You might be stepping into a senior role, now responsible for making sure your organisation is adequately covered, or a general practitioner taking on private services.
Healthcare roles and organisations we have helped provide with their indemnity insurance, have included:
- ADHD Prescribing Pharmacist
- Medical Weight loss Practitioners
- Medical Marijuana Prescribers
- Dental Nurses
- Online Prescribing & Virtual Healthcare
- Practitioners and dentists who have been previously refused elsewhere
- Well-being & Occupational Health
- Private GP Consultation / Clinic
- Radiology
- Allied Healthcare Professionals
Cover that’s Catered to you
By choosing MIAB as your broker, a member of our team will work closely with you to build a comprehensive policy that best suits your scope of work. They can offer advice and guidance in areas such as level of cover, legal costs and picking your insurer. Whether you need a top-up policy for your CNSGP cover or meeting the clinical negligence insurance requirements for your organisation.
At MIAB, our team has access to a panel of insurers, if you have any other concerns when it comes to your professional healthcare risks, such as data breaches or further protection for your duties as a director or manager, we have policies for those too.
Our dedicated, in-house special team of Medical Malpractice Insurance Advisers can assist you by providing cover throughout your career, all starting with your complementary quotation.
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