Professional Indemnity (P.I.) Insurance

(Limit £5,000,000, unless otherwise specified)

Cover under this section of the policy is provided on a CLAIMS MADE basis. This means that the claim needs to have been made (i.e., the insurers will have had to be notified in writing) during the Term of the policy and that the incident will have had to have occurred after the retroactive date (which is shown on your certificate of insurance).The retroactive date is the date which you came to take out your policy for the very first time and have not since had any breaks in policy cover.

Retirement

Underwriters have agreed that cover will continue to be provided indefinitely at no additional fee for any Pharmacy Technician that has either retired or has permanently ceased to practice for any exposure that results from work that they undertook whilst they were working.

Temporary cessation of Practice

Additionally, the underwriters have agreed that cover will continue to be provided at no additional fee for any Pharmacy Technician that has temporarily ceased to practice for any exposure that results from work that they undertook whilst they were working. Depending on the reasons for such temporary cessation of work, such cover would continue to be provided for;

    Maternity leave – 12 months
    Career break – 24 months
    Study leave – 36 months
    Temporary disablement – 12 months

These extended cover benefits would be provided as long as the PIA was notified at the commencement of retirement or career break.

Professional Indemnity

Cover under this part of the policy provides legal defence costs, claimants expenses and compensation settlements as a result of any claim made against a Pharmacy Technician resulting from an error or omission which has been committed whilst at work as a Pharmacy Technician where this has resulted in: – Bodily injury, mental injury, illness, disease or death. This is called Medical Malpractice. Examples of situations where Medical Malpractice can occur include: – Errors or omissions in Prescription interpretation, Dosage or strength, Dispensing / labelling / delivery, Dilution / formulation/ preparation, the running of clinics, advising patients and other Healthcare professionals.

Good Samaritan Acts

Cover is also extended to Good Samaritan Acts, e.g., offering First Aid assistance at a motor accident or performing resuscitation on a member of the public by virtue of being present either ‘by chance’ or due to being requested to assist as a result of being a Healthcare Professional.

Libel and or Slander

Providing legal defence costs, claimants expenses and compensation settlements for libel and/or slander as a result of a claim made against a Pharmacy Technician resulting from words written or spoken whilst working as a Pharmacy Technician.

Breach of Confidentiality

Providing legal defence costs, claimants expenses and compensation payments as a result of a claim made against a Pharmacy Technician resulting from a breach of confidentiality whilst working as a Pharmacy Technician.

Public Liability

Providing legal defence costs, claimants expenses and compensation payments as a result of a claim made against a Pharmacy Technician resulting from physical injury caused to any person or damage to property whilst working as a Pharmacy Technician.

Providing consultancy services to GP practices, hospices or others.

In the case of the Business Consultancy policy only, cover is extended beyond the traditional Medical Malpractice protection described above to situations where an error or omission has been committed by an insured Pharmacy Technician, which leads to financial loss to the recipient of the service – this is known as Commercial Liability. Examples might include a consultant advising a community pharmacy client in matters relating to a major shop refit. The proprietor is led to believe by the consultant that at a cost of refit X a consequent increase of turnover Y will result. In the end, after the completion of the refit the turnover actually drops and this is because the consultant omitted to undertake proper market research prior to making the recommendation. In this situation the proprietor may seek compensation from the consultant involved.

What are you actually covered for?

The modern Pharmacy Technician’s activities are very wide ranging and it has become increasingly difficult to describe all the situations in which a Pharmacy Technician will work. In this respect and subject to you taking out a policy relevant to your practice, cover under the P.I. section of the policy is extended to include any activity performed which involves the Pharmacy Technician, so long as the activity performed would ultimately be approved as an appropriate activity by the regulator – the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). As a Pharmacy Technician covered under the P.I. section of the policy, protection is provided against liability to pay sums or compensation arising from any claim or claims made during the period of the insurance. Cover under this section of the policy is extended to the provision of Legal Defence Costs and any expenses resulting from the investigation or settlement of claims.

Response to Covid-19 virus

Professional Indemnity Insurance

The Public Health crisis caused by the Covid-19 virus has overwhelmed healthcare systems all around the world. Professional Indemnity cover under this policy is provided for pharmacy related activities, whether these are routine or connected to Covid-19.

The one notable exception to Covid-19 activity is administering vaccinations which is excluded from standard cover. However cover for administering Covid-19 Vaccinations is available via the Covid-19 Vaccination extension.

Those pharmacy technicians involved in non-pharmacy related Covid- 19 activities will not be covered by this policy. Pharmacy technicians are advised to check whether these non-pharmacy related Covid-19 activities are covered under either the state backed indemnity scheme introduced in the Coronavirus Act 2020 or an employer's indemnity scheme.

Legal Defence Costs Insurance

The Legal Defence Costs element of the cover operates and provides protection for pharmacy technicians, whether the incident that gives rise to a claim is connected to a routine pharmacy activity, a pharmacy related Covid-19 activity or even a non pharmacy related Covid-19 activity.

Legal Defence Costs Insurance

(Limit £500,000 unless otherwise specified)

Cover under this section of the policy is provided on a CLAIMS MADE basis. This means that both the incident AND the claim (notifying the insurers that legal action is pending) would have had to occur during the term of the policy.

Any legal dispute can be difficult to resolve. Practical professional advice is essential- taken in time it can often resolve the problem and prevent it from needlessly going any further. If indeed a problem needs to go to law, expensive legal costs will accrue, not only if the case is lost, but often in successful cases too. In this respect, this section of the policy provides for defence costs up to the monetary limits agreed. A call to the 24-hour legal advice service (number on PIA card enclosed) provides immediate expert advice on any legal matter, whether it is connected with your occupation or not.

Should an incident occur regarding any matter covered, as described in the Legal Defence Costs section of this booklet, you will be required to give immediate notification in writing, your policy will provide for the services of a solicitor if appropriate.

The insurance described in this section provides a broad spectrum of cover. It is imperative that the insurers are notified of an event occurring as soon as the circumstances of any potential claim become known.

Employment Protection

To assist in an Employment Tribunal, e.g., to claim compensation from an ex- employer for unfair dismissal. Employment Tribunal protection is provided for any relevant salaried positions taken during the year as long as long as the dismissal occurs more than 60 days after the inception of the policy.

Professional Tribunal Representation

At some stage during the career of a Pharmacy Technician it may become necessary to face an enquiry which examines conduct or Fitness to Practice. Protection is provided through legal representation at any inquest convened to inquire into activities/ conduct as a Pharmacy Technician, e.g., Coroner’s Inquest, fatal accident inquiry, NHS Tribunal or a GPhC disciplinary process etc.

Criminal Prosecution Defence

Defence of any criminal prosecution arising from Pharmacy Technician responsibilities e.g. criminal negligence manslaughter or Medicines Act offences.

Civil Prosecution Defence

Defence of any civil proceedings brought under legislation for unlawful discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, age, religious belief or political opinion; defence of the serving of a Statutory Notice under Health and Safety at work legislation or Section 13 of the Data Protection Act in connection with the activities as a Pharmacy Technician.

Personal Injury

Should a Pharmacy Technician sustain serious injury, whether at work or not (such as a motor accident – unless they are the driver) it may be possible to pursue damages on their behalf against the persons responsible. It may thus be possible to win compensation for a variety of things, e.g., physical harm, any lasting effects, etc. Cover under this section of the policy would enable solicitors through a Conditional Funding Arrangement to take up such claims on behalf of a Pharmacy Technician.

Contract Disputes

Pursuit of a dispute over a contract for the purchase of products or services or for the hire of goods providing the amount in dispute is over £250 in value.

Jury Service

Providing up to £1000 of funding to an employed Pharmacy Technician if they are called to serve on a jury and it is not recoverable from the Court or their employer.

Taxation Disputes Protection and General Advice

Defence of an Inland Revenue Full or Aspect Enquiry into the personal tax affairs of a Pharmacy Technician arising out of salaried employment. Providing legal costs and expenses, the accountant’s fee and any other necessary costs where applicable. A taxation advice line is available.

Self-employed income investigation protection is available upon separate application.

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