Pharmacies are an essential part of the health service in the UK. Run a pharmacy that finds itself increasingly busy yet continues to want to provide excellent customer service and information to the public. You must protect your practice against any unforeseen situations.
Our flexible pharmacist locum insurance packages enable practices to tailor the type of cover required. This ensures the financial implications of a wide range of eventualities that cause staff absences are handled.
Team members can be absent for a variety of reasons. Still, the needs of your pharmacy and its customers remain the same. You must protect your practice against any staff absences so that you do not experience any negative financial or professional impact.
We can talk you through what you need, offer advice on any possible cover you may not have thought of and tailor a policy that suits your needs.
What Type of Locum Insurance Cover Do I Need?
Ideally, you need a policy that covers your practice in the event of unforeseen circumstances that may potentially impact you financially. Absence of a team member can have a significant impact on the workload of the rest of your team. It may also potentially affect your customer service levels too.
If a team member or a pharmacist is absent for one or two days, most pharmacies can cover this internally. However, if that absence stretches to wells or months, it’s another matter entirely and can result in high costs.
A 2019 report by Chemist and Druggist (C+D) magazine found that hourly pay averages for locum pharmacists in the UK are at its highest level since 2012. The rate, according to the magazine’s salary survey, found that hourly rate averages are at £21.99 across the UK.
Suppose you’re considering insuring yourself against such costly possibilities. In that case, a pharmacist locum insurance policy from Approachable Locum Insurance typically include the following cover for insured members:
- Accident or illness anywhere in the world
- Medical and Hospital Expenses
- Funeral Expenses
- Personal Effects
- Jury Service
- Compassionate Leave Expenses
- Paternity Benefit
- Suspension Cover
- Revalidation
- Delayed Return from Holiday
Key Features of the policy include:
- High financial strength underwritten by Lloyds of London one of the most prominent insurance companies in the world.
- A 12 months pre-existing condition clause. To our knowledge this is the best on the market given our competitors either have a 2 or 3 year pre-existing condition clause (no claim can be made on a pre-existing condition during that time).
- A ‘continuation option’, meaning that the policy will not be cancelled, restricted or declined at renewal as a result of claims or on the grounds of variations in health of an insured person.
- Full 52 weeks payout. This means that if the defer (delay period) was 4 weeks the policy would pay for 52 weeks up to week 56 (our competitors tend to pay up to week 52 so for 48 weeks).
- No ‘admin charges’ or ‘broker charges’ that are associated with other policies on the market.
We can talk you through the best type of policy for your practice so that you have peace of mind when running a busy pharmacy.
What services does locum pharmacist insurance cover?
During a locum session, the period designated for a locum pharmacist to complete a given task, they act as a self-employed or agency worker. As part of their membership with a locum agency or as an independent freelance worker, they have certain obligations and requirements that must be met.
Locum insurance is provided so that locum pharmacists can conduct the following work in a community pharmacy, through an internet service or within a hospital pharmacy (As specified by the PGD):
• The legal sale and supervision of medication and any designated community or pharmaceutical service.
• Work within a hospital pharmacy. This can include in-patient and out-patient services, such as clinical checks and dispensing medication in a hospital setting.
• Under the PGD provisions, a pharmacist can perform advanced duties, such as administering injections (Not including Covid-19 vaccinations).
• Act as the responsible pharmacist (up to the role of superintendent) or as part of a team within the confines of their given membership. (Some locum memberships view acting as management as a conflict of interest, so this may vary).
• Rounds and patient meetings in a hospital setting.
While this list is not exhaustive, it can guide the roles locum pharmacists can perform in different settings. In addition, locum pharmacists can get separate coverage for providing covid-19 vaccinations or an IP extension to work as independent prescribers. Nevertheless, even without these added services, a locum pharmacist can perform various duties, even acting as superintendents as required. This gives pharmacies the option to relieve senior management from duty if needed. Allowing more flexibility and protection for staff.
Why Choose Approachable Locum Insurance Cover?
We take pride in the fact that we’re an independent insurance broker. This means we can offer you impartial advice about the best coverage for your pharmacy practice.
Not only that. We are specialists in our field. We provide independent and friendly financial and insurance advice for medical and medical-related practice across the UK. We have many years’ experience, including working as an IFA (Independent Financial Adviser) and working for BMA Services and Wesleyan Medical Sickness.
Our clients trust us to find the right policy for their needs. We’re called Approachable Locum Insurance for a reason. We make it simple for you to protect your practice.
We can take you through all the details of your policy. And, rest assured, we’ll look after you in the event of a claim.
Buying Pharmacist Locum Insurance
At Approachable Locum Insurance, it’s quick and easy to take out pharmacist locum insurance. You can contact us either by phone on 0345 3503655, get an online quote or send us an email to info@locuminsurance.co.uk.
You will receive an initial quote within minutes, and we can then go into more detail, so you get precisely the policy you need.
Contact us today for friendly and independent advice on the right policy for you and your practice.
