Insurance is essential. This is true whether you are a highly seasoned optometrist or a newly qualified professional fresh out of postgraduate training. Ultimately, making sure you are protected during the various unforeseen circumstances that can happen in this profession will prevent serious damage to your career, reputation and ability to earn a living. 

When it comes to practices, and opticians who run their own practices, either as a small team of medical professionals or a larger establishment servicing a large number of patients, it’s even more important to make sure you are covered. As well as protecting your own livelihood, you are responsible for the lives of your colleagues and the care of your patients. 

However, one type of insurance won’t work for all. Every practice is different, with diverse coverage needs and circumstances. Below are some common forms of insurance that many opticians choose to take out to cover their business.

Locum Insurance

Optician locum insurance policies cover a range of different absence types, from illness and jury service to personal accident and bereavement. Policies can also be extended to cover other absences, such as maternity leave, annual leave, sick leave and stress-related absences. 

With those in the medical profession coming under an increasing amount of pressure to uphold quality standards despite higher workloads and patient demands, the rate of absences has increased. And when a full-time member of your team is away, the stress is only greater for the remaining employees, making it more likely for others to fall ill or require short term absences due to stress-related causes. 

Ultimately, having locum insurance to cover the hiring of a short-term optician to fill in can help your practice to keep running smoothly without serious disruption. By covering a range of different types of absence you can continue to meet your duty of care to all your patients. 

What Kind of Locum Policy Do I Need?

When choosing your policy it is important that you consider how your practice copes with staff absence. If you simply cannot manage with the absence of your core team even for a single week, then you will need insurance that covers the hiring of a locum immediately. 

Other less costly policies can be taken out to cover the cost of a locum after a set period of time. During this time, you will need to handle the work of the absent optometrist using your available resources. While there are a number of standard policies available, you can also tailor your policy to suit your needs and contingency plans.

Medical Malpractice Insurance

All qualified practitioners are required to have medical malpractice insurance which is required to cover you in the event a claim is filed against you for negligence. If you don’t have this cover in place, you and your practice could suffer serious consequences when faced with the costs of a legal battle. As well as preventing the ongoing work of an optometrist, it can also significantly damage the reputation of your practice and impact your profitability as a business. 

Effective insurance will cover you for any amount that may become liable to be paid for compensation as a result of claims arising from allegations of negligence. It should also cover you against claims for compensation in relation to allegations that you have acted negligently in your capacity as an examiner, adjudicator, researcher, lecturer, teacher, optometric adviser or expert witness.

Why is Malpractice Insurance Necessary for Optometrists?

• Critical in giving optometrists the confidence to practice while protecting themselves and their license
• Gives your business the guarantee it needs that operations will keep running 
• It protects the health of your existing patients
• Malpractice insurance helps protect against damages awarded in a lawsuit

Equipment Insurance

Most professionals in the medical sector will rely in some form on advanced and specialised equipment. Without such tools, achieving the level of care that is expected is almost impossible. To do your job correctly and keep running your business, you will need to guarantee you always have the access you need to the proper medical equipment. 

Having the right equipment insurance cover in place can support you if your equipment becomes somehow damaged or stolen. It will allow you to cover the cost of quickly replacing or repairing the equipment so you can continue offering your patients the level of care they deserve.