The nature of physiotherapy practice comes with a certain level of risk of injury or harm to patients. In fact, some clients will already be seriously injured or in pain when they seek physio support, and managing these individuals carefully while delivering effective care can be a delicate process. 

Equally, physiotherapy patients have the right to expect that physiotherapists will have adequate insurance cover if they suffer an injury during treatment. And for physiotherapy clinics or individual practitioners, it’s important for your reputation, career and finances that you have adequate insurance to provide for compensation should the need arise.

What Is Physiotherapy Liability Insurance? 

This type of insurance is available to both organisations and practitioners across a range of industries. Similar to other professions, liability insurance provides financial compensation for people who have been harmed as a result of malpractice or negligence by a physio. If you’re a practicing physiotherapist, you must have some form of liability insurance.

Public liability typically offers comprehensive protection against the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence. It covers the cost of defending your business if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you performing your professional activities. 

Despite what some physios think, a patient could take legal action for many reasons, including if they believe a course of treatment has not had the results it should have. For instance, a patient could claim that care was not delivered effectively, resulting in a slower recovery or even additional damage to their body. They may take legal action against you to seek compensation for this.

Do I Need Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance secures the practitioner against civil liability incurred by, or loss arising from, a claim that is made as a result of a negligent act, error or omission in the conduct of the physiotherapist. If you are actively working as a physio this could arise as part of your professional activities with any of your clients, meaning you should have some form of insurance to cover you. 

Typical work activities that could lead to a public liability case include: 

• Evaluating therapy outcomes and writing reports based on a patient’s status and progress
• Creating treatment plans and care processes designed to rehabilitate a patient in some way
• Encouraging the client to talk about the emotional and psychological impact of physical injuries 
• Assigning and conducting activities aimed at restoring a patient’s mobility and reduce pain

Any false advice or mistakes whilst providing treatment in the above areas could inadvertently lead to a lawsuit and claim by a client against the physiotherapist. Other situations where claims could arise include:

• Failure in developing and implementing an appropriate treatment program 
• Negligence in counseling a client about their treatment options 
• Treatment advice that directly leads to injury or damage to your client’s health
• Allergic reactions to oils or other substances while treating a patient

Public Liability Insurance for Physiotherapists

If you or your employees are making house calls or visiting a client’s place of work to offer physiotherapy treatments, your actions may somehow cause injury or harm to another person. Public Liability Insurance can protect you in these situations, if a claim is made against you.

Public liability insurance also covers you if damage is caused to someone’s property while you are working. Expensive items of furniture or technology may need to be replaced due to an accident, for example.

Do I Need Locum Insurance?

For a busy physiotherapist clinic, the absence of any of your core staff can leave you unable to provide the level of service your clients expect. This can seriously impact your ability to operate and could even damage your reputation as a business. 

With a physiotherapists locum insurance policy designed to suit your needs, you can ensure that your practice can continue operating even if you or your team are off for various reasons, such as accidents or illnesses. 

What About Employer’s Liability Insurance?

Employer’s liability insurance is another important policy that physiotherapists should consider. Essentially, it covers your therapy business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment.

For more information about the best insurance policies available to you as a physiotherapy clinic or individual practitioner, get in touch with us at Approachable Locum Insurance and we’ll happily advise you on the best options available to you.