What is professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Professional, treatment and public liability insurance is a new business policy which combines treatments and professional liability with public and products liability insurance.
It has been designed by Hiscox specifically for businesses in the health, fitness, beauty and wellbeing sector. It can cover claims arising from your treatment or service and also those related to your business but not directly linked to your treatment or service. This means it covers both treatment and non-treatment public and product liability claims.
Professional, treatment and public liability insurance can safeguard your business in situations where there’s a risk of being accused of negligence. It can also help where bodily or mental injury result from your work or if someone tries to recover fees because they say your treatment wasn’t effective.
This product can even help health, beauty and wellbeing professionals if a client is injured by something unrelated to your treatments, such as tripping on a loose floorboard. Legal expenses and compensation for claims from members of the public are covered in such cases.
Having a policy can help to pay for the defence and settlement for claims against you in instances such as malpractice and professional negligence.
Additionally, the cover can reimburse you for legal proceedings issued against business activities undertaken on your behalf, by professionals contracted to you and under your supervision.
Do I need professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Professional, treatment and public liability insurance can provide welcome protection against a range of key industry risks for many professionals who provide complementary therapies, help people with fitness or offer advice on health and wellbeing.
The nature of this work comes with the treatment risk of a client saying they aren’t happy with your services, or that they experienced injury or property damage due to your work. Many business owners in this field may find professional, treatment and public liability insurance useful to protect their activities and finances against several types of claim.
For instance, someone might say they tripped on blocks left behind by a yoga teacher. Alternatively, a beauty therapist could be issued with a claim that a hot stone massage inflicted burns on their client’s skin, or that oils damaged an expensive handbag.
The patient of a psychologist may cite poor advice, while the client of a therapist – whether of sports massage or acupuncture – could identify errors in a treatment plan.
If you offer professional services within the health, beauty and wellbeing sector, this cover can help back you up.
We cover a variety of business types and sizes and can tailor your cover quote to meet your needs.
Get your quoteWhen should I get professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Working within the health, beauty and wellbeing industry comes with several risks, so having an insurance policy to cover your business from the moment you start trading can offer protection.
It can be reassuring to have insurance in place before you start offering life coaching, lead Pilates sessions, or take on your first clients as a nail technician or Reiki practitioner.
When you provide complementary, beauty or talking therapies, or work as a personal trainer or dance teacher, you might need to consider cover if you couldn’t afford to independently pay legal fees and compensation pay-outs.
While professional, treatment and public liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement, having cover may be a contractual or professional condition in some instances. If your contract with a fitness centre says you need public liability insurance, for instance, then professional, treatment and public liability insurance from Hiscox could help.
How much professional, treatment and public liability cover will I need?
There are a few risk factors to consider when calculating how much professional, treatment and public liability insurance you might need for your business.
Allergic reactions, illnesses and injuries can all be consequences of your work – and accidents can happen that aren’t even due to your treatment. How much cover you’ll need will depend on the main risks you encounter and the maximum compensation that may be awarded if the worst should happen. By tailoring a quote with us, we can help you choose the most appropriate cover for your needs.
In addition, you might choose to consider the potential cost of legal fees for your defence if you should face a claim. Finally, consider any contractual or professional stipulations which require you to have a certain level of cover.
A combined professional, treatment and public liability policy can offer cover limits ranging from £1 million to £10 million and can be tailored to the requirements of your business.
What’s included in your professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Hiscox professional, treatment and public liability insurance has been specifically tailored to combine covers that protect businesses within your industry and includes*:
- Malpractice – a bodily or mental injury, disease or death of a client caused by a negligent act, error or omission by you while performing your work. For example, using an incorrect product or technique
- Negligence – giving incorrect advice or making a mistake in your work constitutes failing in your duty of care to a client
- Libel or slander – this may involve a rival company or individual who claims your promotional leaflets or website includes material about them they deem damaging
- Breach of confidentiality – accidentally sharing commercially sensitive information or confidential details without consent
- Illness and injury – when a member of the public or a client is injured or becomes ill and say it was because of you, an employee or your business activities, but unrelated to the treatment you offer
- Property damage – this includes property belonging to a client or member of the public
Please refer to the policy documents for the full details of inclusions and exclusions of this cover. Policy documents are available when purchasing online. You can also contact our customer services team for more information.
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Build my coverProfessional, treatment and public liability insurance: FAQs
What is treatment insurance?
Treatment liability insurance is a type of commercial cover which can help to cover the cost of legal defence and compensation relating to treatments and wellbeing advice. This type of liability policy is designed to support professionals offering treatments ranging from hair styling to counselling.
This cover works to protect businesses who stand accused of causing bodily, mental injury or death as a result of treatment or therapy administered.
It offers a helping hand to pay for defending and settling legal cases for claims including breach of confidence, malpractice and negligence.
At Hiscox, treatment liability insurance is part of our professional, treatment and public liability insurance – a wider product offering tailored for the health, beauty and wellbeing industries.
What qualifications are required for professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Whichever qualification you need to perform the particular service you offer is what is required for professional, treatment and public liability insurance.
We won’t ask to see proof of your qualifications before you take out this policy, you’ll simply need to let us know you have the appropriate certification to operate within your field.
Whether you’re a massage therapist, reflexologist or hairdresser, your profession will likely have defined entry requirements. However, in the event of a claim, you may be asked for proof of your qualifications, so ensure you keep copies of these.
What is the claims basis for professional, treatment and public liability insurance?
Professional, treatment and public liability insurance has been designed as a blend of claims made and claims occurring.
The professional indemnity and medical malpractice cover within this product operates on a claims made basis. This means the policy will pay out for any valid claim made during the period of the policy no matter when the incident occurred. This might involve a client saying a product you used to perform your nail art has given them long-term skin complaints, for instance.
It can also include retroactive cover which accounts for work you’ve done in the past. A ‘retroactive date’ refers to the time from which you’ve held uninterrupted cover – even if you switched insurer during this time.
Meanwhile, the public liability cover within this product works on a claims occurring basis. This means the policy will only pay out for claims where the incident itself has happened within the policy period. For example, someone could say they tripped over the A-board outside your salon, resulting in an injury that required hospital treatment.
With professional, treatment and public liability insurance, you’ll have one shared limit across the combined cover from £1 million up to £10 million.
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