In the month of July in the year 2014, The Healthcare and Associations Profession Order came into effect. This instated that all regulated health professionals are now required to be covered by professional indemnity insurance.
If you are currently in the process of studying/training to become a health practitioner then you might find this short guide to medical insurance quite useful.
Who Requires Cover?
The list of healthcare professionals is wide, and this legislation covers anyone who fits into this group. This includes doctors (who work both privately or in general), nurses, osteopaths, midwives, pharmacists, opticians and paramedics. Depending on what your duties entail, where you work and whether you’re employed or self-employed will determine what level of cover you will need.
Getting To Grips With Medical Cover
The environment that healthcare practitioners work in can be high-pressured and intense. Although the aim is to always strive for success in giving the highest standard of service possible, mistakes can and will happen. When a mistake does occur, it can have serious consequences. Incision Indemnity offer professional advice on medical indemnity and give a useful insight into how it can protect a healthcare practitioner, highlighting why it is vital you get the correct medical insurance.
Make Sure Your Medical Cover Is Adequate
You want to make sure that your insurance provides cover for all aspects of insured person’s practice. To cover the most serious potential financial rewards, your insurance should also be of sufficient value to be able to cover those expenses. It is recommended to seek out professional advice about your cover. In order to make sure you are prepared; you must ensure that you can provide up-to-date and comprehensive details about your practice. You should also review any cover provided on a regular basis.
Be Aware Of Your Work
There may come a time when you become aware of an issue that has arisen in your work that is likely to lead to a claim against you. You should call your insurance provider as soon as you are aware of this even if your client is currently unaware of the issue that has occurred.
Flagging up potential problems as soon as possible is hugely important because your insurance provider is the expert. By informing their claims team early, they can often help prevent a situation from getting out of control. In the instance of a claim, they will be able to give you professional advice on how to settle the matter and when, to try and avoid any major legal disputes.
What Not To Do When Making A Claim
Although it is important to know when to make your claim, it is also vital that you know things to avoid. If you choose not to utilise your insurers expertise, then you run the risk of making a claim worse.
If you choose to settle the claim yourself, this will not only cost you, but you will still need to get your insurers permission before you pay any money to your claimant. It’s best to avoid handling it yourself and leave it to the professionals. After all, they are on hand to help you by offering their expertise.
Admitting liability for a claim can be detrimental towards your case. Not only does this prejudice your insurers position, it also makes it a lot harder for them to defend your corner. Pressure can often get to an individual in the midst of a medical insurance claim, but it is important to keep a calm manner and if you’re worried then seek advice from your insurer. They deal with claims daily so they may be able to put your mind at ease.
