Got any Questions?

Yes. The GMC states that ‘If you carry out any private or independent practice, you must arrange adequate and appropriate insurance or indemnity (even if this work takes place on NHS or HSC body premises).’

Yes, policies provided through Practition meet the requirements that are in use by major private hospital groups in the UK.

An indicative premium is a rough estimate of your insurance premium based on limited information about your clinical practice and without a full underwriting review by the insurer.

The benefits of getting an indicative premium are:

• It’s quick, easy and there’s no obligation – you only need a few minutes to complete a short form which allows us to identify the best insurer for you and your requirements.
• It allows you to compare insurers without investing time in detailed applications.
• It helps you plan, budget and make the right decision for you.

We can provide you with an indicative premium before you invest time in completing the application form for a full quote.

The normal timeframes are approximately 48 hours for indicative premiums and 48-72 hours for full quotations.

The underwriters used by Practition quote based on the work you do and more importantly the work you don’t do, along with your claims history and experience, rather than generic earnings bands. By taking the time to fully review your application, you will be provided a tailored quotation for you.

You will be contacted 5/6 weeks prior to your renewal date and will be asked to provide updated information in your earnings / procedures / claims which the insurer will rate based on the correct information. Because your quote is based on the actual work you do, which may change from one year to the next, we do not automatically renew your policy.

We’re confident that our renewal rates will be competitive, 90% of clients renew their policies with us.

Medical Indemnity policies issued by the Insurance Company are underwritten on a claims made basis and covers you from the period of time you join or providing cover for your historic work and include retroactive cover.

If you wish to switch from an Insurer company, all we need is your acceptance of our terms and we will do all the rest. When moving from another Insurance Company, the Practition policy would pick up your retroactive cover and there is no additional cost to this.

The insurance policy that we will be providing is underwritten on a “Claims Made” basis. This means that claims are dealt with under the terms of the policy in force at the time the claim is notified and not the policy that was in force at the time of the original error or omission. For this reason it is important that you do not allow your insurance cover to lapse, as this will mean that you will be responsible for settling any claims notified during the period for which cover is not in force.

When switching from a mutual defence organisation to contractual insurance, there are two main differences in the cover offered:

• Moving from a claims occurrence to a claims made policy
• Nonregulated cover to regulated

All Practition policies include 21 years + run-off insurance in the event that our clients cease to trade, retire or death.

It is always worth checking with your current provider how you are covered, and we will look to accommodate any gaps in cover i.e., claims made cover for certain time periods.

It is common for mutual defence organisations to undertake an income audit which could leave a consultant with deactivated memberships or cover cancelled from the beginning. Practition can look to assist in these circumstances so please call our team to discuss your options.

In the event of retirement, or permanent cessation of your private practice for other reasons including death, run-off cover comes into play. Your policy will protect you continually for at least 21 years. The reason for the minimum 21 year period is to ensure that you are covered for all possible claims under the legal Statute Of Limitations. The number of years varies by insurer and could be up to 25 years.

The first thing you should do on receiving a patient complaint is to contact Practition.  We understand that in the event of a complaint, first-rate support is paramount. Thereby we have a 24-hour helpline available, providing immediate and expert advice. Medical and Legal professionals are on hand to ensure that any matter can be dealt with quickly, effectively and empathetically.