Indemnity Insurance for Nurses
Professional indemnity insurance for nurses is an insurance cover that protects a nurse against claims while on duty. A client can claim an error that a nurse did in the course of her duty. Various professions require different types of indemnity insurance, among them; nurses. In the UK, a nurse needs to have nurse indemnity insurance. Professional indemnity insurance for nurses is important since one can make a mistake that can result in claims.
Importance of Indemnity Insurance for Nurses UK
In the course of their duty, nurses can make an intentional mistake. Nursing indemnity insurance becomes important in such a scenario to cover the nurses against costs arising from such claims. But even with the cover, every nurse must portray ethical legal and professional duties to avoid such occurrences. Some of the errors that are likely to occur during work as a nurse include:
- Administering the drugs to patients
- Wrongly advising a patient
- Causing injury or damage to a patient
- Making a judgmental error in a medical situation
- Offering incorrect instructions to a particular patient
- Unfair accuse of being unprofessional in their conduct of work
Who Needs Nursing Indemnity Insurance UK?
In the UK, all nurses that do not work with NHS must possess nurse professional indemnity insurance. Nurses working with private healthcare should be covered by their employers. If you are self-employed or you have a private hospital, it is mandatory to have indemnity insurance for nurses. Nurses that work as agency workers must arrange on how they can cover their own cost.
How Nurse Indemnity Insurance Works
As a nurse, you wouldn’t expect anyone to b ungrateful while trying to save their lives. However, mistakes occur and can attract claims. In such a case, you would need nursing professional indemnity insurance. Most indemnity insurance for nurses covers much more. For instance, one would fear to help a passerby with medical difficulties for the fear of being sued. Nurses’ indemnity insurance policy will cover the legal expense, settlement costs and reimburse you for the time you spend in court. Such payments may accrue as a result of being:
- Sued for defamation
- Sued or malpractice or negligence
- Sued for violating one’s intellectual property rights
- Summoned by the Coroner
- Called by a practitioners board due to unprofessionalism
How to Get Professional Indemnity Insurance Nurses UK
There are three ways through which a nurse can obtain indemnity insurance for nurses in the UK. they are:
Through an employer. if you are employed, your employer should provide a cover for you even for those working in private entities.
Purchasing your policy. If you are self-employed, you can buy your own policy with an insurer or any other suitable service. Maintain the safety of its proof for at least 5 years.
Get a cover through an association. Some associations provide nursing indemnity insurance to their members. In some instances, it may be cumbersome for a nurse to decide on indemnity cover for nurses to take. Such instances include:
When working for the NHS. The NHS provides covers to its employees against claims arising in the course of their duty.
An employee in a private healthcare facility. Your employer will provide you with a cover that will protect you against claims while working at the employer’s facility. However, this differs from one employer to the other. Enquire more about the extent of coverage from your employer.
Working in the education sector. Nurses who are working in the education sector are usually provided with an insurance cover by their employers. The indemnity insurance for nurses can also be provided by providers in case you may want to buy yours.
Self-employed. If you are a self-employed nurse, then you need to get yourself indemnity cover for nurses. In some cases, you can find your professional body offering one.
Combined self-employment and employment. Whether employed or in self-employment, you need o find the best indemnity cover. For instance, if you are in self-employment, that policy can only cover you while you are at your place of work.
Nurse Indemnity Insurance Cost
The cost of nurse indemnity insurance differs from one provider to the other. There is no fixed price. Various factors affect the cost of indemnity insurance for nurses. Among them is the nature of your work, the extent of the cover you are looking for and the prevailing rates in the market. As such, it is important to compare nursing indemnity insurance from different providers before buying one. This way, you can get a cheaper policy and one that adequately covers your needs.
The Process of Making Nursing Indemnity Insurance Claim
– Notification. You are required to inform the insurer of an existing or probable claim against you.
– Pre-action stage. The insurer will require detailed information regarding the situation.
– Negotiations. The ideal scenario would be to settle the dispute outside of the court. This approach is less costly and saves time.
– Litigation. If the alternative dispute resolution approach fails, your case will be dealt with in a court of law.
Insurers Offering Professional Indemnity Insurance for Nurses in the UK
– [Miab Expert Insurance](https://www.miab.co.uk/professional-indemnity-and-liability-insurance/)
– [Insync Insurance](https://insyncinsurance.co.uk/nurses)
– [Medical Malpractice Insurance Specialists](https://www.mmi4u.co.uk/medical-malpractice-insurance/professions/nurse-malpractice-insurance)
– [PI Expert](https://www.piexpert.co.uk/healthcare-professionals/)
Conclusion
The nature of certain professions such as nursing increases one’s chances of making a mistake. Depending on the extent of damage resulting from the unintentional error, the client can present a claim against the worker. To cater for the subsequent legal charges, compensation, and time spent, nurse indemnity insurance is necessary for nurses.
