Do I need insurance?
Paramedics:
To register to practice as a paramedic, the Paramedicine Board of Australia require you to have adequate Professional Indemnify Insurance coverage. You can meet this requirement through an employer's policy or by having your own insurance in place.
If you are in any doubt about whether your employer’s cover meets the registration standard, you should ask what is covered by their Insurance arrangement, or consider taking your own policy to provide certainty.
First responders:
If you are a first responder, who is not qualified and/or not registered as a paramedic, there is no registration requirement to have insurance in place.
Even so, anyone can be held personally liable for their actions if they lead to a third party experiencing loss or damage, so the purchase of insurance coverage should be considered.
I'm an employee. Won't my employer's insurance cover me?
Generally, your employer will be held ‘vicariously responsible’ for any actions brought against you for duties performed by you, within the scope of your employment. In these cases, your employer’s insurance policy should cover you.
However, there are a number of potential gaps in the scope of your employer’s cover that could leave you exposed to loss as a result of a claim being made. These are:
An off-duty paramedic who, in good faith and without expectation of payment or other reward, comes to the assistance of a person who is injured in acting as a good Samaritan. As this action is taken outside the scope of your employment, your employer’s insurance will not provide you with cover should an action be brought against you because of this treatment.
- Your involvement in Inquiries and proceedings
You may be involved in inquires and proceeding relating to:
- an act, error, omission or conduct by you while providing your professional services.
- a complaint made against you by a third party to any court, statutory health authority or agency, registration board or a professional association.
Your employer’s policy may cover you in these situations, however if you are in any doubt about whether your employer’s cover meets this registration standard, you should always ask what is covered by their Professional Indemnity arrangement.
What are some situations where reliance on my employer's policy is not appropriate?
Some examples where this could occur include:
- You are the subject of a consumer complaint and you have a different version of events than your employer.
- You are the subject of an investigation due to a colleague making a report against you to Ahpra.
In these cases, the value of having your own independent legal advice to respond to Ahpra becomes important.
By purchasing your own Guild Paramedic Liabilities insurance policy, you have the benefit of accessing $250,000 worth of legal representation costs to give yourself the best chance of getting the right result in that inquiry. Guild insurance will engage Meridian Lawyers, Australia’s leading indemnity defence firm, who will act for you, and you alone, in responding to that investigation.
I'm a contractor. Do I need to have insurance?
As a contractor, you may not be able to rely on cover being provided by those engaging your services. To meet AHPRA requirements and protect yourself from any gaps in insurance or excess payments, you should consider purchasing your own Guild Paramedic Liabilities insurance coverage.
If I provide care to someone having a heart attack on the footpath on my way to work do I need to have professional Indemnity insurance?
Under AHPRA standard requirements, each practitioner is required to have adequate professional indemnity insurance for any practice they do. This is so that, should anything go wrong, members of the public are protected by being able to claim via insurance. For example, if something went wrong and a patient then had to spend a long time off work and incur significant medical expenses as a result, they would be able to make a claim. Employer policies may not cover this Good Samaritan act, so you should consider taking your own Guild Paramedic Liabilities insurance to protect you under these circumstances.
If I volunteer to provide first aid services for my local footy club, should I have professional indemnity insurance?
Employer policies will not cover your volunteer work because they only cover you while you are working for your employer. If you do volunteer to provide first aid services you should consider taking your own Guild Paramedic Liabilities insurance to protect yourself under these circumstances.
What might cause a professional indemnity claim to be made against me?
Professional indemnity insurance covers you for what you do in your professional life. Essentially, this means if you do something that negatively affects a third party through error or omission, they may make a claim against you.
Some examples of things you could do that might lead to a claim are:
- Making incorrect patient assessments
- Failure to appropriately secure a patient for transportation
- Failure to properly clean or sanitise equipment
- Providing incorrect first aid treatment
- Administering incorrect medication or dosage
What might cause a public liability claim to be made against me?
Public liability insurance also covers you if you injure a person or cause damage to third party property while performing professional duties.
Some examples of things you could do that might lead to a claim are:
- Breakage of a valuable item at a patient’s home
- Creating a trip hazard with your equipment
For full details of cover, Contact Guild to obtain a copy of our PDS on 1800 810 213