A consultation is launched on legislation that would mean all regulated healthcare professionals have to hold indemnity or insurance to practise.
The consultation will run from 22 February to 17 May 2013 on draft regulations on the requirement for all regulated healthcare professionals to hold an insurance or indemnity arrangement as a condition of their registration with the relevant regulatory body.
The vast majority of healthcare professionals are already covered by their employer's arrangements. In the first instance, it will be for each individual healthcare professional to assure themselves that they are covered by an insurance or indemnity arrangement appropriate to their scope of practice.
Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said:
"We believe all regulated healthcare professionals should hold insurance or indemnity to ensure the patients they treat are fully protected if things don't go according to plan.
"We are changing the law to make sure that this is the case. This will mean that in the rare cases where a patient suffers harm as a result of negligence, they are able to seek compensation.
"This should increase patient confidence and improve safety overall."
The department has asked some specific questions in the consultation document but please provide comments on any aspect of the consultation package.
There are a number of other provisions of the directive which have yet to be transposed into UK law and which will be consulted upon separately. The UK is required to be compliant with the directive from 25 October 2013. The department is undertaking the consultation on behalf of all UK health administrations.
Legislation in respect of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland remains the responsibility of the Northern Ireland legislature and is subject to a separate consultation in Northern Ireland.
- respond online
- read the consultation document
- read the draft order
- read the impact assessment
- download the impact assessment supporting spreadsheet
- read the equality analysis
- download the consultation response document
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