Indemnity insurance for nurses in the UK is a registration requirement expressed as an arrangement rather than as a named product. Registrants must have appropriate cover for their scope of practice, and for most nurses part of that is met by an employer and part is not.
What registration requires
Registered nurses and midwives must have an appropriate indemnity arrangement in place as a condition of registration, covering the scope of their practice. The regulator does not name a product: it requires that the arrangement is appropriate and that the registrant has satisfied themselves it is, which puts the check on the individual rather than on the employer.
Where employer cover stops
NHS and most employer arrangements cover the employer's liability for work done in that role. They frequently do not extend to representation at a fitness to practise hearing, to agency or bank shifts elsewhere, to private or voluntary work, or to a claim arising after you have left. Those four gaps are what personal cover is bought to close.
What personal cover typically includes
Professional indemnity for clinical work within your declared scope, representation at a fitness to practise hearing, and access to advice before something becomes a claim. It follows the person across employers, agency shifts and private work, which is the practical reason associations recommend it.
What personal cover costs
Personal indemnity for a nurse is among the least expensive professional covers in the United Kingdom, and professional associations and unions frequently include it in membership or offer a member rate. It is worth checking what your membership already provides before buying separately, because many registrants are covered twice without knowing it.
Questions people ask about indemnity insurance for nurses uk
Is my NHS employment enough?
For the employed role usually. It may not cover agency shifts elsewhere, private work, or your own representation at a hearing.
Is it a legal requirement?
An appropriate indemnity arrangement is a condition of registration, and the registrant is responsible for satisfying themselves it is appropriate.
Does my union membership include it?
Frequently. Check what you already have before buying separately, because many registrants are covered twice.