Why you need insurance in the health and wellbeing industry
Counselling
Working as a counsellor means a client could claim your advice caused them harm. There’s also the potential for accidents or even data breaches.
Life coach
Offering advice comes with the territory for a life coach, but you may make a mistake or be misinterpreted – insurance can cover resulting illness and complaints.
Massage therapists
In the course of relieving soreness, a massage therapist might receive a claim their treatment caused ill effects, or they find themselves unable to work.
Yoga instructors
Teaching flows comes with the risk of a student, the yoga instructor, or an employee becoming injured – someone could even trip over a stray block.
Sports massage
Attempting to heal injuries involves the possibility of a sports massage exacerbating the issue. Self-employed masseurs might also opt to safeguard against being out of action.
Zumba instructors
The high-energy workouts a Zumba instructor leads are always fun but working with the public can involve accidents or even property and equipment damage.
Psychotherapists
The work of a psychotherapist involves delicate processes. Insurance could help if treatment offered is brought into question, or even if the clinic is broken into.
Pilates instructors
A Pilates instructor could receive help from insurance for their exercises causing further stress on existing issues, cover for their teaching space or employees.
Dietitian and nutritionists
Whether it’s helping clients to overcome illness or boost their vitality, dietitians and nutritionists work closely with people and may be vulnerable to associated risks.
Acupuncturists
Being precise and facilitating energy flow is the focus of an acupuncturist, but mistakes can happen, or a client may say advice offered caused them harm.
Personal trainers
For a personal trainer, working with people is a passion – but physical work brings the possibility of accidents and injuries. Equipment could also become damaged.
Complementary and holistic therapists
When you perform therapies that range from chiropody to meditation, insurance could help to protect against risks to people and your tools.
Learn more about complementary and holistic therapists’ insurance
Psychologists
Whether a patient claims there were errors in therapy, there’s a cyber breach or damage to someone’s property, insurance can come to a psychologist’s defence.
Beauty therapist
Helping people to look and feel great is what beauticians do best, but equipment damage, a salon slip or a treatment mistake could prove costly.
Dance teacher
A dance teacher provides fun exercise classes, but accidents and injuries may happen when moving to the beat – as can damage to a studio.
Opticians
Business insurance tailored for an optician can help to cover several risks such as in-practice accidents, property damage, complaints by aggrieved employees and even data breaches.
Reflexologists
Administering zone therapy to the feet and hands means you rely on your own hands, so reflexologists may wish to insure for personal accidents as well as treatment risks.
Reiki practitioners
Healing treatments involve contact with people, so there’s always a chance someone could trip on a loose floorboard in your treatment room – insurance may help to offset this type of risk.
Therapists
Whether you do sports massage or provide nutritionist advice, you’re working with people day in, day out. Hiscox insurance can help to cover you financially if things go awry.
Key types of insurance for health and wellbeing businesses
We have a specialist combined product designed for health and wellbeing businesses – professional, treatment and public liability insurance. This brings together professional treatment liability insurance and public and products liability for protection from several angles. Tailor an online quote or speak to Hiscox’s experts to discover what insurance types are available for your profession.
Professional, treatment and public liability insurance
A client may trip over in your therapy room or dietary advice could lead to an allergic reaction. Accidents and mistakes can happen in this industry, Professional, treatment and public liability insurance can help with the cost of defending or settling a claim.
Product liability insurance
Product liability insurance can step in if a product you process causes an injury or property damage – for instance, if you sell cosmetics products in your wellness clinic. For health and wellbeing businesses, this is available as part of combined cover.
Employers’ liability insurance
Whether you have a team of dance teachers or employ eye specialists at your opticians practice, their in-work health and safety is your responsibility. In most cases, employers’ liability cover is a legal requirement (external link) in the UK for businesses with staff. This cover helps with the cost of compensation claims for employee injury or work-related illness.
Property insurance
You may welcome clients to your own premises – if you do, office insurance offers a combination of property and contents cover to safeguard your bubble. You might experience flooding or kit could become damaged. For mobile practitioners, portable equipment cover can assist, while equipment breakdown insurance can be added for an extra layer of reassurance.
Personal accident insurance
Running your own business has lots of perks but also means you can’t generate income if you’re unable to work after an accident. In the unfortunate event that you find yourself out of action, personal accident insurance can help with expenses while you concentrate on making a full recovery. Plus, it can even help provide funding if your injury means you need to retrain.
Cyber and data insurance
Working in the health and wellbeing industry often means having multiple clients. The responsibility for safely storing their information and keeping that data secure falls with you. Cyber and data insurance can help if you experience a targeted attack or an accidental breach comes from within your business.
Related articles and guides
Unskippable minute: Dr Bayju on staying humble
Keeping your finger on the pulse in the medical profession is key. Dr Baju’s unskippable minute video explains why staying humble could also be important.
Wellness: How to become a therapist
Interested in making your passion a professional venture? Read this guide to becoming a wellness therapist to discover how to join the industry.
How much does public liability cost?
Calculating the cost of insurance for your health and wellbeing business can be confusing. Follow our FAQ guide to how much public liability cover costs for help.
Building your client base as a complementary therapist
Complementary therapy is a competitive space, so networking can provide invaluable help. Discover how to build your client base and gain loyal customers with Hiscox.
The formula for business success
Going it alone in the wellbeing industry can be daunting – but we’ve identified the recipe that makes a great leader. Read this article to learn the true formula for business success.
The small business guide to cyber attacks
Protecting the health of your business goes further than you might think. Learn more about protecting your small business from cyber attacks with our guide.