Nursing indemnity insurance is bought for four situations, and none of them is the ordinary employed shift, which the employer already covers. Knowing which four makes the decision straightforward and stops registrants either paying twice or assuming they are covered when they are 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.
The four situations
A fitness to practise referral, where you need representation and the employer's arrangement usually does not provide it. An agency or bank shift worked for somebody else. Private, voluntary or teaching work outside the employment. And a claim arriving after you have left the employer whose arrangement covered the work.
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 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 nursing indemnity insurance
Do I need it if I only work for the NHS?
For the employed role the state backed arrangements answer. Personal cover is for hearings, agency shifts, private work and claims after you leave.
Is it required by the regulator?
An appropriate indemnity arrangement is a condition of registration. Whether personal cover is needed depends on what your employment already covers.
How much does it cost?
Among the least expensive professional covers, and frequently included in a professional membership already held.