Medical professional liability insurance is the American name for what United Kingdom regulators call an indemnity arrangement. The obligation on registered clinicians here is to hold adequate and appropriate indemnity covering their scope of practice, and it can be met by insurance or by membership of a medical defence organisation.
The requirement here
Registered doctors, nurses and allied health professionals must hold an indemnity arrangement appropriate to their practice as a condition of registration. NHS work is generally covered by state backed schemes; private practice is not, and it is private work that most often needs an arrangement of its own.
Insurance or a defence organisation
Two routes exist. A commercial insurance policy, written on a claims made basis with a limit. Or membership of a medical defence organisation, which historically offered discretionary indemnity rather than a contractual right. Clinicians should understand which they hold, because the two behave differently when a claim arrives.
Scope of practice, which decides adequacy
Adequate means adequate for what you actually do. A clinician adding aesthetic work, a new procedure or a private clinic changes their scope and must check that the arrangement follows. This is the point at which most clinicians discover the difference between their NHS position and their private one.
Questions people ask about medical professional liability insurance
Is it called liability or indemnity in the UK?
Regulators here speak of an indemnity arrangement. Professional liability is the American term for the same idea.
Does NHS work need its own cover?
NHS work is generally covered by state backed schemes. Private practice usually is not and needs its own arrangement.
Is a defence organisation the same as insurance?
Not necessarily. Some offer discretionary indemnity rather than a contractual right. Know which you hold.