FAQ

The Frequently Asked Questions page aims to answer the more common questions asked by practices, but if you can't find the answer to what you are looking for then send us an email and we will answer you question as soon as possible.

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Q: Do I have to insure my practice?

A: The only legally required cover is Employers Liability insurance based upon certain criteria and failure to obtain this cover and maintain it can incur significant fines. It is highly advisable to take out surgery insurance covering employers, public and buildings/contents insurance to ensure your practice can continue to run in the event of the unfortunate happening.

Q: Do I have to maintain my dental indemnity cover?

A: Your Dental Indemnity cover is very important cover to have and maintain, not only for your personal protection but to ensure you comply with GDC guidelines. The GDC require you to hold Defence Body membership, Indemnity insurance or Employers Indemnity cover to ensure you have adquate cover to compensate a patient if required. Allowing a gap to occur in either of these methods can cause significant problems for you and the ability to renew the cover.

Q: What is vicarious liability and how does it impact on me?

A: Vicarious liability has become a popular talking point recently, even though it has always been an area to watch. If you employ or engage staff, the courts may hold you vicariously liable for the negligence of those individuals. You may think but they have their own indemnity to cover this, which they may do, but have you checked! There is also a more common theme with claims where they are directed at the practice attended and not the practitioner who treated them, especially if they saw more than one dentist. It is then down to the practice to defend itself from litigation, which is costly. You may also have employee's or self employed associates, who leave the practice and then may become uncontactable, especially if they have moved abroad. Again this puts the claim in the lap of the practice as they are vicariously liable for the treatment given to the patient in question. Some policies may extend to cover your vicarious liability, but as a practice owner you can't beat a policy that indemnifies the practice.

Q: How does claims made dental indemnity insurance work?

A: Claims made insurance works by covering claims made during the active period of insurance, not when the treatment/incident had taken place. A claims made policy has a retroactive date, which will be the first date you entered in to a claims made policy. This retroactive date now should not change for the entirety of having a claims made policy. Each year with the same or a new insurer, the coverage relating to claims within the date of the claim and your retroactive date will be dealt with by your current insurance policy. You don't need to look back over policy documents and try and figure out who you were insured with.

Q: Do I need to pay for run off when I retire on my claims made policy?

A: This depends on the type of policy you have when you retire. Most dental indemnity specific policies now have run off cover as standard, which means you just have to let them know when you are retiring and the cover then goes in to run off for a defined period, 5, 10, 15 years or maybe more. You would only need to buy extra run off if the policy didn't say that it was included.