A Major Member Benefit
Insurance cover for our members was announced on World Hearing Day 3rd March 2022!
Your paid membership with BSHAA now includes...
Medical Malpractice Liability and Public Liability Insurance
What cover will I receive as part of my BSHAA membership?
Medical Malpractice Liability and Public Liability Insurance.
What are the policy limits?
The policy limit is £10m on any one claim subject to a maximum of £20m in the aggregate. This one limit covers all eligible BSHAA members and is not on a per-member basis.
Who is covered?
You are, if you are:
- Domiciled in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands; and
- A member of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists
and either –
- Hold an Audiology qualification,
- A suitably qualified Hearing Aid Dispenser or Hearing Care Assistant (employed by an HCPC registered member)
- A non-HCPC registered professional but engaged in work in connection with, or work in audiology for HCA Membership AND employed by an HCPC registered member.
Whilst undertaking Audiology work, only.
Who is not covered?
Anyone unable to agree to the statements above and any person working in a corporate setting. A Corporate setting is an organisation that owns 100+ clinics and/or practices.
What activities are covered?
BSHAA has an agreed Scope of Practice with our insurers, which can be found here. If you are operating within these parameters and are a qualifying member (see above), you are covered by this insurance.
Our profession's activities include otoscopy, impression taking, laser ear measurement, wax removal**, foreign body removal from the ear canal, balance, tinnitus, tympanometry, real-ear measure, ABR, and OAE.
**subject to staff attending a suitable UK course, are from a healthcare background, and are employed and supervised by an HCPC registered member of BSHAA. Additionally, a CPD-type record should be maintained by these members. Please note that ear irrigation treatment of minors is excluded.
When did it come into effect?
The cover is on a “claims made” basis with a retroactive date of 28th February 2022, meaning that any incidents occurring after this date and made in the current period of insurance will be covered (subject to the terms and conditions of the policy).
Note that members who have previously held their own individual insurance may wish to consider purchasing run-off cover, as the retroactive date of that policy will not be carried forward to this insurance.
How do I make a claim under the policy?
If you have a specific question about the cover or need to make a claim, please send your inquiry to: bshaainsurance@premierline.co.uk
What about my other business insurance requirements?
The BSHAA policy covers Medical Malpractice Liability and Public Liability only. Should you have any additional insurance requirements eg. products liability, business interruption, employers’ liability, contents, or buildings, please send your inquiry to our provider who offers a whole range of business insurance solutions at: bshaainsurance@premierline.co.uk and one of the team will be able to assist you.
Ask all your staff to join BSHAA and benefit from our cover too!
Email Us about this Benefit
FAQ's
Scenarios
Limited Company reference under “Vicarious Liability Extension”
Q: Are all Limited companies and organisations excluded under point iii?
A: No, only those Limited companies and organisations which own 100 or more clinics &/or practices.
For example, ‘Top Notch Hearing Ltd’ employs three people, all of whom are BSHAA members. An incident occurs as a result of the work undertaken by one of these individuals, BUT when the claim is received it is made against Top Notch Hearing Ltd. Is the Limited company covered by the BSHAA insurance? Yes. Provided that the incident arose from the actions of a BSHAA member and that Top Notch do not have more than 100 clinics &/or practices.
Claims Made versus Claims Occurring basis
The BSHAA policy is written on a Claims Made basis, which simply means that it covers you for “claims made” during the policy period. The BSHAA policy also contains a Run-off Extension, which means that if you cease practicing, the policy will continue to cover you for your work undertaken before cessation. If you leave BSHAA and move to another organization, you should check the basis of their cover to ensure that there are no gaps.
Moving from a policy that was written on a Claims Occurring basis to one on a Claims Made basis should not leave any gaps in cover for the member.
e.g. Joe Bloggs was a member of another organization that provided insurance on a Claims Occurring basis and then moved to BSHAA which has a Claims Made basis of cover. He made the switch on 1st November 2022 but was later notified of a claim against him with an incident date of 1st October 2022. Is there a gap in the cover? No. Whilst he would not be covered by the new “claims made” policy (because he wasn’t a member at the time of the loss), the old policy on the “claims occurring” basis would respond as this incident occurred during the period of cover.
Additional Insurance
The BSHAA master policy intends to provide its members with cover for any professional Medical Malpractice and/or Public Liability claims arising from their work.
Other liabilities – members are encouraged to review the requirements for Employers Liability and may also wish to have Products Liability cover in place (though this should ultimately rest with the manufacturer).
Other insurances – buildings, contents, business interruption, directors & officers liability, and many more other policies are available from BSHAA’s broker* or other providers, usually packaged as a ‘shop/office’ policy.
*Please email your name, contact number, and preferred time to speak to the team at bshaainsurance@premierline.co.uk who will call you back.
Q: Can I get proof of cover?
Q: Non-HCPC/ HCA ear wax removal?
YES, our cover includes member ear wax removal staff who have attended a suitable UK course, are from a healthcare background and are employed and supervised by an HCPC-registered member of BSHAA. Additionally, an ongoing training record should be maintained by these members. Please refer to the specific terms and conditions of the policy here for ear wax removal. Please note that ear irrigation treatment of minors is excluded.
Q: I am the owner of a Limited company who employs BSHAA members, am I still covered?
Yes, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy for Medical Malpractice and Public Liability, but please note there is no cover for Employers Liability under the BSHAA policy nor is there any other form of business insurance eg. Buildings, contents, or business interruption, etc. so you will need to source this separately or alternatively. Speak to our broker for further guidance.
Products Liability cover included?
No. This policy is for Medical Malpractice and Public Liability only. Products Liability should be included as part of the main Clinic or Practice insurance.
Q: If I decide to retire but if cease to be a member at the time of claim, will I still be covered?
Yes, subject to the terms and conditions of the “Run-off Extension” found in the policy wording.
Q: I have been referred to the HCPC and may be the subject of a Fitness to Practice investigation. Will this policy provide and legal costs to assist me in defending myself?
Unfortunately not. HCPC referrals would require coverage under a Legal Expenses policy, which is not currently available through BSHAA insurance. However, we are in discussions about potentially providing this too.
Q: When working with small children, I usually need an assistant to help me out by distracting the child while I am carrying out a hearing test on them or talking with their parents. This is usually done by a non-hearing healthcare professional in my clinic? Is this person covered?
Persons who are covered by the policy are defined under the “Insured person” part of the policy wording. In this setting, the person mentioned should become a BSHAA member (associate).
Q: Do I have to display my insurance cover?
No, however, it is a legal requirement to display Employers’ liability insurance if you are an employer. This is the one form of business insurance that is compulsory for almost all companies in the UK. You can enquire about this by clicking the button at the bottom of this page.
For any other queries, please email: bshaainsurance@premierline.co.uk