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...
Insurance Coverage Provided
What cover will I receive as part of my BSHAA membership?
Medical Malpractice, Professional & Public Liability Insurance.
What are the policy limits?
The policy limit is £10M in any one claim and £20M in the aggregate.
Who is covered?
You are, if you are domiciled in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands;
AND either:
- a full member (Hearing Aid Dispenser) of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists; or
- a Clinical Support Member (HCA, Audiology Assistant etc.), with supervision from a full member; or
- a student member on an HCPC-approved audiology course, with supervision from a full member;
Whilst undertaking hearing aid audiology work, only (within the scope of hearing aid audiology practice).
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, ear wax / foreign body removal, balance, tinnitus, tympanometry, real-ear measure, ABR, and OAE.
When did it come into effect?
The cover is on a “claims made” basis with a retroactive date of 28th February 2024, 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, Professional & Public Liability. 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.
BSHAA Indemnity Guidance for Practice Owners and Members (2026)
1. What BSHAA Indemnity Covers
BSHAA membership provides personal medical malpractice, professional indemnity and public liability cover for:
Full Members1
Clinical Support Members (CSMs)2
Student Members2
This cover applies to individual practitioners, not to companies or clinics.
2. Insurance Responsibilities: Individuals vs Employers
Individual Members
You are personally covered for:
your own clinical acts
treatment‑related incidents
professional errors
public liability arising from your clinical work
Your cover follows you, except where excluded (see Section 4).
Practice Owners (who are Full Members)
If you own a clinic and you are a Full BSHAA Member, and you employ BSHAA‑insured clinicians:
✔ You are covered for your own clinical acts
✔ You are covered for vicarious liability for:
Full Members you employ (Full Members are considered supervised for indemnity purposes because employment gives you legal control, even though they practise autonomously.)
Clinical Support Members and Student Members you employ, provided they meet the clinical supervision requirement2
✔ You do not need Corporate PI
✔ You do need Public Liability (PL) and Employers’ Liability (EL)
Practice Owners (who are not Full Members)
If you own a clinic but you are not a Full BSHAA Member:
✔ Each employed Full Member is covered individually
❌ You are not covered for vicarious liability
❌ Your company is not covered for vicarious liability
✔ You must have Corporate Professional Indemnity (PI)
✔ You must have PL and EL
3. Clinical Support Members & Student Members — Supervision Requirement
CSMs and Students are only insured when clinical supervision is in place.
Employment alone is not sufficient.
Clinical supervision means:
oversight of clinical activity
delegated tasks
appropriate training
direct or indirect clinical oversight
working within the supervising Full Member’s clinical governance
If clinical supervision is not in place → the CSM/Student is not insured under the BSHAA policy.
When clinical supervision is in place → they are insured in their own right, the practice owner’s vicarious liability extension applies where the practice owner is a Full BSHAA member.
4. Working for Large Organisations
The BSHAA policy excludes organisations that:
employ more than 100 people in the aggregate, or
provide indemnity cover for your audiology activities
This includes large national chains and corporate providers.
If you are employed by such an organisation:
❌ You are not covered by BSHAA whilst working for that organisation
✔ You are covered by the organisation’s own indemnity
✔ You are covered by BSHAA insurance for any work outside of that organisation
If you work as a locum for such an organisation:
✔ You are covered by BSHAA (locum carve‑back applies)
5. When Corporate PI Is Required
Corporate PI is required when:
the practice owner is not a Full Member
employed clinicians are not supervised (Full Members = legal supervision; CSM/Students = clinical supervision2)
the clinic employs non‑members
the clinic wants to insure its own governance risks
the clinic wants cover for its own corporate vicarious liability
6. When Corporate PI Is Not Required
Corporate PI is not required when:
the practice owner is a Full Member
all clinicians are BSHAA members
all clinicians have their own BSHAA cover
all clinicians meet their supervision requirement
Full Members → legal supervision through employment
CSMs/Students → clinical supervision2
the clinic holds PL and EL
¹ Full Members
Full Members are considered supervised for indemnity purposes when employed, because employment gives the practice owner legal control, even though Full Members practise autonomously.
² Clinical Support Members & Student Members
Clinical Support Members and Student Members require clinical supervision (direct or indirect) to be insured. Employment alone does not meet this requirement. When clinically supervised, they are insured in their own right and the practice owner’s vicarious liability extension applies.
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 employ more than 100 people.
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 employees.
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 registered 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 have supervision from a full 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.
Q: If I decide to retire and cease to be a member, will I still be covered for previous care provided?
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: 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