Medical and dentistry practices simply cannot function if the GPs and dentists are unable to work. The true extent of the risk is not often realised until a locum is required due to sickness, or other longer term leave. The cost to the practice can be significant, which is why locum insurance should be a serious consideration.
Choose an insurance that compliments the NHS reimbursement scheme
For doctors’ surgeries, the NHS provides certain reimbursements to cover the cost of a temporary replacement for GPs for sick leave and parental leave.
The British Medical Association still recommends that surgeries invest in locum insurance to cover any additional costs or other employees not included in this scheme.
Tips to choosing your cover
You should choose an insurance policy that gives your practice any additional benefits or covers any costs not already available to you.
Speak to specialists
The medical and dentistry industries in particular are niche markets with specific needs. Practices need to speak to specialist brokers with the right knowledge to ensure they get the advice they need.
Give us a call at AllMedPro to have a chat about your particular requirements.
Ensure you have the right cover
Choosing or excluding certain benefits from your locum insurance policy will affect your premium. However, depending on your set up and requirements, some options might be too important to miss out. For example, cover for ‘own occupation’ rather than ‘any suited occupation’ will mean a claim can be made when the insured person can’t see patients, even if they can carry out other ‘suitable’ tasks.
Some policies will also cover sick pay benefits on top of pay, and you can also choose to cover the cost if work is reallocated within the practice as well as if an external resource is needed. One option that can reduce your premium is including a longer deferred period of absence before you can make a claim.
Consider how long your practice can afford to pay for additional support before your insurance payout becomes valid when choosing this time period.
Choose permanent cover
Make sure there are no clauses in your insurance policy that affect you if you make a claim. Your terms and conditions should be permanent throughout the entire term of the policy. If you have this type of cover, the insurer cannot cancel your insurance due to number of claims or any changes to medical history – as long you keep to your agreed terms.
Don’t just renew your policy
When it comes to renewing your policy, check all the details again to be sure that no terms have changed. You don’t want to be caught out when you need to make a claim. It is often useful to shop around at each renewal as new customers often get better deals.
Consider covering other key staff
It’s not just the doctors and dentists who keep a practice running. Consider choosing a policy that includes role replacement cover for other key personnel like practice managers and specialist nurses.
Arrange insurance before it’s too late
Choose a policy now, before your surgery is short staffed due to absence and locum support is needed. Depending on your agreement, your practice and partners could be liable for costs to cover extra support if you don’t have an insurance policy.