Physiotherapists indemnity & liability insurance
You take the aches and pains out of everyday life. We take the pain out of insurance by tailoring our policies to better protect your reputation and livelihood.
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY, GET 25% OFF
We're offering a special 25% discount on our Professional Indemnity and Public & Products Liability Insurance until 14 May 2026. Terms and conditions apply. Simply Get a Quote and the discount will be automatically applied.
If you're forced to defend your professional reputation, you'll want the best support behind you.
Our policies include three types of insurance in one designed specifically for physiotherapists combining: professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance, and product liability insurance.
Product liability
Insurance cover for liability for injury or property damage caused by goods sold or supplied by you. This can include cover for clients getting sick or injured from products you provide for example; resistance bands, healing remedies or other products.
Cover and benefits of this physiotherapist insurance policy
Cover for personal training including one on one or group (up to 5 persons) pilates or yoga programs when they are in support of your treatment program
Cover for alternative therapies such as acupuncture and dry needling
Cover for exercise programs
Cover for exercise consultations
Run-off cover which protects you when you’ve ceased practising permanently
Cover for legal costs and expenses associated with complaints to your registration body, disciplinary proceedings or a coronial inquiry
Round-the-clock support with 24 / 7 claim support line availability
Nil basic excess on liability claims
Breach of confidentiality cover following alleged or actual unintentional breach of confidentiality by you
Provides a 21-day cooling-off period, allowing you to change your mind after purchasing coverage
Ongoing education through our RiskHQ, providing you with relevant and informative information on the risks that matter to you
Common physiotherapist 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.
Not just an insurance policy
Risk articles with RiskHQ
You can visit RiskHQ at any time to read up about the unique risks you face as a physiotherapist. We cover a variety of risk management topics, from managing complaints, to social media risks, maintaining your physiotherapist business, and much more.
Keeping treatment tables safe
It may surprise you to know that Guild Insurance continues to receive reports of patient injuries related to treatment tables.
No one sets out to have a patient injured in their care. When it does happen, it can be distressing for you and the patient. People come to you for help; they don’t expect to be injured in the process.
These claim examples highlight how easily incidents can happen.
Case 1
A man broke his arm when he fell from a treatment table. He was lying face down on the table when the practitioner asked him to sit up. As he sat up, he tried to steady himself by putting his feet on the floor. However, he didn’t realise the table had been raised during his treatment. He then overbalanced, putting his arm out in an attempt to break his fall.
Case 2
An elderly woman fell when getting off a treatment table unaided. She landed heavily on her knees, causing extensive swelling and bruising. The practitioner hadn’t thought to caution her about getting up too quickly or to help her when getting off the table.
Reducing the risk
Working with patients
- Be alert to the risk during every consultation. It’s not uncommon for patients to behave in a way you don’t expect; don’t assume they will act safely.
- Ensure the treatment table is positioned at the lowest setting before the patient enters the room.
- Where you consider it may be required, provide the patient with assistance to get on and off the table.
- Remind patients they may feel dizzy when sitting up. Encourage them not to rush.
- Instruct patients to not reach out to grab personal items, such as mobile phones, while on the table.
- Be mindful of the role patient modesty plays in preventing these incidents. An individual who feels uncomfortable being treated in their underwear may move quickly off the table to get dressed again.
- Be careful when you sit down at the treatment table so you don’t accidently release the levers underneath. This can cause parts of the table, such as the headpiece, to drop or move suddenly.
- Consider how a patient’s size and weight may impact the stability of the table, particularly when the height is raised.
- Don’t allow children to play on, or under, the table. There have been reports of children being crushed to death by treatment tables.
- When treating children, instruct the parent to hold their child on the table at all times.
- Ensure all staff are educated about the safe use of treatment tables.
Maintaining or purchasing treatment tables
- Reduce clutter and remove hazards from around the treatment area. Keep equipment or other objects away from the foot switch to avoid accidently activating the pedal.
- Think about the age and suitability of your current table(s). Is it suitable for safely treating all of your patients?
- Anchor the table to the floor if possible.
- Ensure the table is secure and sits level on the floor. Keep any wheels locked at all times. Avoid moving the table unnecessarily to prevent inadvertently leaving the wheels unlocked.
- Adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions and ensure staff are familiar with it.
- Regularly clean and service the table according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- When purchasing a new table, consider the:
- maximum weight it can safely accommodate
- degree of stability the table maintains as the height is raised
- infection control risks and the ease with which it can be cleaned
- importance of securely anchoring the table to the floor
- other safety considerations relevant to your practice.
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractors
- Massage
- Osteopaths
- Physiotherapists
- Business
- Professional
Insurance for your physiotherapist business
If you own a physiotherapist studio and need insurance for your building, contents and more. Visit our information on business insurance for physiotherapist businesses.
*Coverage up to $20 million requires your selection of cover up to this limit during the quote and purchase process.
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