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Professional indemnity insurance and business insurance for Australian professional

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Insuring Australians for over 60 years
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Pharmacy Claim

11/2023

Quote IconAlways helpful and have never had any issues with claims. We have dealt with them for a long time and they understand our business.

Dentist Claim

01/01/24

Quote IconAs a practitioner and building owner I have used Guild Insurance and have been satisfied with all claims made from lodgement through to completion of remedial work and finalisation of the claim.

Child care New Policy

19/11/23

Quote IconProcess was simple, smooth and easy! As a new provider, it was so helpful having an experienced person on the other side of the phone, discussing my insurance needs with me.

We provide industry-leading specialist insurance

Our insurance policies are designed to support you. We have a range of covers to comprehensively protect your livelihood and your reputation.

Professional indemnity

Professional indemnity

Protects you for what you do in your profession.
 

Business insurance

Business insurance

Protects all aspects of your business – property, people and the interruptions. 

Professional indemnity insurance covers you for your civil liability when a claim arises from a breach of your professional duty. For many professional policies at Guild Insurance combine professional indemnity, public liability, and product liability to cover more of your professional duties. Business insurance, on the other hand, is a broader category that encompasses various types of coverage designed to protect businesses from a wide range of risks. This can include property damage, theft, and liability claims from third parties.

For professionals providing advice or services:

  • Assess your service risk: Evaluate the potential risks associated with your professional advice or services. Consider the possibility and implications of your advice or actions leading to a client's physical, psychological, or financial detriment. Reflect on the likelihood and consequences of a situation where an error or omission on your part could lead to legal action.
  • Understand legal requirements: Familiarise yourself with the legal and regulatory landscape relevant to your profession. Is holding professional indemnity insurance a legal requirement or an industry standard in your field?
    For certain contract positions and many allied health professionals regulated under Ahpra require professional indemnity and/or public liability insurance.
  • Consider your financial exposure: If faced with a legal claim, could you afford the legal defence and potential damages out of pocket?


For business owners protecting their operations:

  • Identify your business assets: Determine which physical assets are crucial to your business operations, such as property, equipment, and inventory. Consider the consequences if these assets were damaged, stolen or lost.
  • Evaluate liability risks: How likely is it that someone could be injured or their property damaged because of your business activities? This includes both public liability and product liability.
  • Consider business interruptions: Think about the resilience of your business in the face of unforeseen events that might force temporary closure. How would such interruptions impact your financial stability?

If you are unsure of the cover you require, please contact us on 1800 810 213 to speak to an insurance specialist. 

We can also cover your

Workers Compensation

Workers compensation

Why choose Guild Insurance?

Specialist policies for your Profession

Tailored insurance solutions for diverse professions

Claims made easy

Streamlined claim processes for quick resolution

Expert legal advice with Meridian Lawyers

Professional legal support from trusted Meridian Lawyers

Our policies are made for your industry, endorsed by industry pros and updated regularly.

See how we can help you in your industry.

Claims made easy

It's why you're insured after all, so we've made the claims process quick and easy for you.

Lodge claim online or over the phone

Claim anytime anywhere

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Learn how to avoid claims at RiskHQ

Maintaining personal safety and a safe osteopathy practice

Aug 2, 2022, 16:41
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Title : Maintaining personal safety and a safe osteopathy practice
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View count : 1642

All employers, business owners, contractors and employees have an obligation to create and maintain a safe working environment.  And to do this we all need to think about what makes our workplace unique in terms of the risks and the strategies needed to keep it safe.

There are a few ways in which osteopathy clinics can pose risks to the personal safety of practitioners, other people who work there and patients.  One on one consultations mean that the osteopath is always alone with a patient.  Small practices can lead to osteopaths being the only worker present in a clinic.  And the varied hours of clinics will often see practitioners working late at night.

Below are some tips to help you create a safe workplace for everyone who comes into your practice.

  • When booking in a new patient who you know nothing about, consider booking them in during a busy time of the day when there are other staff around, rather than when the osteopath will be in the practice alone.
  • If you have a patient who for any reason raises some red flags in terms of the osteopath’s comfort levels, only allow them to book in when there are others in the practice.
  • When an osteopath is practicing in the evening and is the only person working at that time, consider locking the front door to the practice.  If you do this, explain to any patients inside what you’re doing and why.  And consider your process for other patients who’ll be arriving.  Will you let them know the door will be locked and that they’re to wait outside till you’re ready for them?  Maybe you’ll only lock the door once the final patient for the day has arrived.
  • Installing a buzzer on the front door notifies you when it’s been opened, thereby allowing you to be sure when people are entering your practice.
  • Consider installing a reception area camera and post clear signage so anyone who enters understands they’re being filmed and will be identifiable.  Don’t use cameras in actual treatment rooms.
  • Consider walking patients and colleagues to their cars when it’s late, however be sure to consider your own safety when doing this.  Provide clients with advice on safe places to park.
  • Always lock your car doors as soon as you get in, and keep in mind criminals can approach from varying angles so they may be in your blind spot.
  • Unfortunately, osteopaths sometimes will be faced with the challenging situation of a patient asking them out or suggesting a romantic relationship begin.  Often when this happens, the patient isn’t aware that relationships between practitioners and patients aren’t allowed.  Thinking about this situation before it occurs and having a plan for what to say and do can make it easier for the osteopath to deal with it immediately and professionally. If patients appear reluctant to accept your refusal, make sure they’re booked when others are on site, or with other practitioners in future.
  • If the practice is in the home of the osteopath, have processes in place to separate the living space from the practice and therefore protect the privacy and safety of the practitioner and their family members, especially children.  And be aware, family members may also breach a patient’s privacy or modesty so ensure everyone in your household understands the rules.
  • Keep records of any uncomfortable, challenging or threatening behaviours from patients, and be sure to save anything that’s received via text or email.  This information is to be recorded in the patient record.  The details on what occurred can be brief yet must be professional, keeping in mind records can be seen by others.
  • Don’t contact patients via your personal email or mobile phone or provide these details to them. If you need to contact them while off-site, put your phone on “No Caller ID” so they don’t have access to your phone number.  If you leave a voicemail message, ask the patient to call the clinic phone, not your mobile.
  • Have a practice policy that advises against practitioners connecting with patients on social media as these connections can contribute to the blurring of professional boundaries.  And be sure to understand the privacy settings of any social media platforms used.
  • Discuss any challenging or awkward situations with your colleagues or other osteopaths and even other healthcare professionals.  This not only provides support when dealing with challenging situations, it also can provide additional tips for how to manage these situations.
  • If you’d like some assistance to deal with a challenging patient who’s making you feel uncomfortable or threatened, contact Osteopathy Australia for advice and support.

It’s important to remember that work, health, and safety laws apply to everyone in the business, including contractors, not just the business owner. A safe work environment is in everyone’s best interest so open communication about any concerns is the best way to protect all staff members. 

Download PDF here
markets :
  • Osteopaths
types :
  • Professional
Categories :
  • Communication
  • Complaints
  • Consent
  • Duty of Care
  • Informed Consent
  • Professional Obligations
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FAQs

The law governs that any professional exercise the required skill to an appropriate level expected by that profession. A professional may be liable for financial loss, injury or damage arising from an act, error or omission of fault if the professional has not acted to the required level of skill deemed in that profession. Failure through this may result in the claimant (person who suffered the loss) be awarded for that loss, damage or injury.

Many professions require you to hold a professional indemnity insurance policy by law, such as Ahpra registered professions, but can be for other industries such as financial institutions also. Please check with your registration body or associations of your profession to know if it is required by law to have professional indemnity insurance. It is often also required by companies who take on contract workers that are not governed under the companies own insurance policy. It is acceptable for a company to ask you as the professional contractor to provide evidence of cover for professional indemnity before starting the contract period.

As stated above professional indemnity insurance covers you for breaches in relation to your professional duty. Liability insurance covers you for activity that results in personal injury or property damage as a result of your business activities that do not relate to your specific profession. An example may be someone who trips and is injured from spilled water within your office may be covered under liability, because it is your duty of care as business person to provide a safe environment. Whereas a person who suffers a loss or injury because of your professional treatment in relation to your job has caused it would usually be consider as an indemnity breach.

Generally business insurance is to cover the physical assets of your business for material damage loss and options for theft cover. It can also include cover for financial loss due to business interruption. Usually basic insurance does not cover breach of duty or flood cover, but if you speak to an insurance specialist it can often be added to your policy for a nominal fee.

Depending on the policy you are taking out, covers will often vary. At Guild insurance we specialise in making a policy to suit your business so that you are not over paying for covers you wouldn't normally need. The best thing to do is call 1800 810 213 to speak to an insurance specialist, they can find out what activities and structure your business is in to then provide you with adequate cover for you.

A certificate of currency (or COC for short) is a written document that confirms that your insurance policy is current and valid at a specific date and time. At Guild we provide easy access to your COC at any time within a few clicks of our online portal PolicyHub. If you are a new customer we can provide you with one post purchase.

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