Indemnity insurance for nurses divides into what the employer provides and what the registrant provides, and the division is the whole subject. The employer covers its own liability for work done in the role. The registrant's own cover follows the person, and it is bought for the situations the employer's arrangement does not reach.
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.
The four gaps in practice
Representation at a fitness to practise referral, which is the most likely expensive event for many registrants. Agency and bank shifts worked for somebody else. Private, voluntary or teaching work outside the employment. And claims arriving after you have left the employer whose arrangement covered the work.
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
Does my employer cover me?
For the employed role, usually. Not for agency shifts elsewhere, private work, or your own representation at a hearing.
What does the regulator require?
An appropriate indemnity arrangement covering your scope of practice, as a condition of registration.
Is personal cover expensive?
It is among the cheapest professional covers, and many memberships include it or offer a member rate.