Following the insurance changes announced by the Society of Radiographers (SOR) last year, we’ve been really busy advising existing and potential sonographer clients about their insurance needs.
Most understand the need to arrange medical malpractice insurance to cover them if it is alleged that a patient has been harmed as a result of the scan. However, we are often asked why public liability insurance is needed. “Surely this is down to the hospital, surgery or other medical setting where I’m working?” is often mentioned.
The first thing to understand is that you (or your company if you operate through this route) are a totally separate legal entity to wherever you may be working and as such have separate legal responsibility for injury or damage that you might cause in the course of your work. It’s the person or organisation that causes the injury that will be held responsible and may have to pay the legal costs and compensation that results.
For example, you may be working in a clinic, put your bag down next to a desk and someone trips over it, falling and breaking their wrist. That person might be off work for several weeks and even suffer some permanent impairment resulting in a compensation claim for many thousands of pounds. The injury didn’t result from your professional medical treatment so wouldn’t be insured by your medical malpractice policy. Similarly, if it is alleged that you have damaged equipment belonging to the place you are working, again, this isn’t insured by a malpractice policy.
What we always recommend is public liability insurance. This can be added to a sonographer medical malpractice insurance policy, or may form part of a clinic policy insuring equipment etc. if you have a premises. It insures you against the legal defence costs and compensation awarded against you should a claim be made against you. And remember, some allegations are spurious, but they still need to be defended, sometimes at a high cost.
So if you are unsure what insurance you need as a sonographer, please call us on the number above or CLICK HERE to submit your details for a call back.