A Buyer's Guide to Medical Indemnity Insurance

What's in this guide?

• What is medical indemnity insurance?

• Do I need medical indemnity insurance?

• What does medical indemnity insurance cover?

• Exclusions explained

• Medical indemnity insurance from Towergate

What is medical indemnity insurance?

Medical indemnity insurance is designed to provide cover in cases of malpractice across a range of different medical professions, from doctors, nurses and dentists to chiropractors and osteopaths. This type of cover is designed to protect you during the claims process, including any costs and defence fees arising from the claim.

Do I need medical indemnity insurance?

For some medical professionals it is a regulatory requirement to have some form of professional indemnity. This is to help provide protection in the case of an allegation being made against you for treatment or advice you may have given to a patient. For others, such as dental nurses and technicians, medical indemnity insurance is highly recommended and it is worth contacting your regulatory body for guidance on the level of protection you may need.

What does medical indemnity insurance cover?

Medical indemnity insurance cover can provide protection for acts or omissions during the course of your professional duties. This can include injury, misdiagnosis, delays in referral and physical or mental harm to a patient. This type of policy is designed to cover the legal fees arising from a claim, whether it is successful or not.

Our cover can also include advice, assistance and representation for proceedings including disciplinary hearings with professional bodies, NHS tribunals and fatal accident inquiries. This can help to give you support and greater peace of mind in a stressful situation.

Exclusions explained

Our medical indemnity insurance policy does not provide cover against incidents that occurred before the life of your policy. It is therefore recommended that you ensure you are covered at all times as it is not possible to claim on historic incidents. It is also worth keeping in mind that patients have up to three years to make a claim from the time they became aware of the error, and then another three years from the point they initiate a claim. We can therefore offer run-off cover designed to keep you protected even after you have finished practicing.

Medical indemnity insurance from Towergate

We can offer medical indemnity insurance for a wide range of different healthcare professions. Our policies are tailored to your profession and designed to suit your needs. If you have had claims brought against you or disciplinary action taken in the past we can still work to try and get you the best deal possible. We have insurers who will look at each professional on an individual basis and are open to reviewing those with previous claims.

For more information visit our dedicated medical indemnity insurance page or speak to a specialist adviser on 01438 739 839.