Professional indemnity insurance

The following insurance intermediaries currently provide insurance for osteopaths:

Balens Insurance Brokers
01684 893 006
www.balens.co.uk

BGi.UK
01367 246 130
www.bgi.uk.com

Institute of Osteopathy
01582 488 455
www.iosteopathy.org

Howden
01924 241 945
www.howdengroup.com

Towergate Caring Professions Division
01438 739 839
www.towergateinsurance.co.uk

It is a legal requirement, set out in section 37 of the Osteopaths Act 1993, for osteopaths to hold an appropriate level of insurance cover.

The fundamental purpose of insurance is to protect and assure patients and the public in the event of a claim. It ensures that an osteopath is indemnified against liabilities incurred while registered.

To practise lawfully in the UK, osteopaths must:

• Acquire professional indemnity insurance with a minimum cover of £5 million (British pound sterling).
• Hold an insurance policy that complies with The General Osteopathic Council (Indemnity Arrangements) Rules Order of Council 2015.
• Hold continuous professional indemnity insurance cover at all times, including run-off cover, when you are not seeing patients.
• Must have cover in respect of any claim that may arise at any time, even if you have since ceased to practise and/or changed provider.

In addition to holding your own professional indemnity insurance, you also need to ensure that the place where you work is covered by adequate Public Liability Insurance – see the Osteopathic Practice Standards, Theme C: Safety and quality in practice, C5.3.

Yes. You must maintain continuous insurance cover at all times.

• If you are changing your registration status to non-practising, you must inform us here; and if you are changing your registration status to practising overseas, you must inform us here.
• Once you have changed your registration status, contact your insurance provider immediately so that they can arrange run-off cover. Before returning to practise in the UK, you must contact us to update your registration status and take out a new insurance policy before you start practising.
• If you are leaving the Register, you must inform us here and once you’ve received confirmation of your removal, contact your insurance provider.

If an osteopath does not renew their professional indemnity insurance or fails to have the required cover and yet continues to be registered, the GOsC has a duty to investigate the matter under our fitness to practise procedures.

If you discover you do not have insurance cover in place, you must cease practising immediately until you have obtained appropriate cover and you must contact the GOsC to inform us of the gap in your insurance cover.

An osteopath’s failure to have insurance is not an ‘administrative’ failure, it is serious and can potentially have consequences for the wider public interest including maintaining proper professional standards of conduct and maintaining public confidence in the profession.

An osteopath continuing to practise while knowing they do not have insurance, could face an additional allegation of lack of integrity or dishonesty.

• You should ensure that your policy has an indemnity level appropriate to the level of risk associated with your practice. The minimum indemnity cover is £5 million, to cover the risks set out in The General Osteopathic Council (Indemnity Arrangements) Rules Order of Council 2015.
• You should ensure that you are happy that the provision(s) for run-off cover in your chosen policy are sufficient for your requirements. Run-off cover means that, if a claim is made retrospectively, you are still covered by insurance.
• You should ensure that you are comfortable with any exclusions stated in your chosen policy, and speak to your insurer if you think any exclusion sits uncomfortably with your practice as an osteopath.
• You should ensure that you understand the definitions of terms contained in your chosen policy, and speak to your insurer if you are unsure about a particular definition.
• You should ensure that your chosen policy has adequate cover for legal liability attributed to partners, co-directors, and associates or agents who work with or for you.
• If you are supplying products or are involved in the manufacture of products to individuals or companies either in the UK or abroad, you should bring this to your insurer’s attention, to ensure that your policy has adequate provision and/or you are aware of any product liability thresholds above which cover is not provided.
• If you are registered with another healthcare regulatory body, your insurance cover for that particular profession may cover your practice as an osteopath. You should ensure that your insurance or indemnity provides you with suitable cover.
• You also need to ensure that the place/s that you work are covered by public liability insurance (whether or not you are yourself the policy holder).

Professional indemnity insurance

1. Professional indemnity insurance protects an osteopath against claims for compensation.
2. It provides cover for damage or injury caused during their work as an osteopath, for example if a patient suffers harm as a result of treatment that the osteopath carried out on them.
3. An osteopath must have the minimum cover of £5 million.
4. Osteopaths have a legal requirement to advise the GOsC immediately if they have ceased to practise.
5. Osteopaths should check they are compliant with current Professional Indemnity Insurance Rules.
6. Osteopaths must have cover in respect of any claim that may arise at any time, even if you have since ceased to practise and/or changed provider.
7. Professional indemnity insurance is a legal requirement of The Osteopaths Act 1993.
8. It is also a requirement of the Osteopathic Practice Standards Theme D: Professionalism.

Public liability insurance

1. Public liability insurance protects an osteopath against claims for compensation.
2. It provides cover for damage caused at an osteopath’s place of work, outside of their work as an osteopath. For example, if a patient makes a claim for an injury sustained by falling over in an osteopath’s waiting room, this would be covered by the osteopath’s public liability insurance arrangement. A professional indemnity insurance policy would not cover this because the injury did not happen during the osteopath’s work as an osteopath.
3. There is no fixed amount for this cover. An osteopath will need to discuss the range of policies available and an appropriate amount of cover with an insurance broker based on where and how they work.
4. Some insurers offer combined policies providing cover for both public liability and professional indemnity. If an osteopath decides to purchase a combined policy, it is their responsibility to check that the professional indemnity cover meets all the requirements set out in the GOsC Indemnity Insurance Rules.
5. It is a requirement of the Osteopathic Practice Standards Theme C: Safety and quality in practice, specifically: C5.3: You must have adequate public liability insurance.