The government recently launched a survey to gather health professionals’ views on regulated insurance and discretionary indemnity arrangements for clinical negligence cover, which the General Pharmaceutical Council has urged pharmacy professionals to complete.
It follows a 2020 inquiry into the malpractice of surgeon Ian Paterson, which urged the government to, “as a matter of urgency, reform the current regulation of indemnity products for healthcare professionals […] and introduce a nationwide safety net to ensure patients are not disadvantaged”.
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A DH spokesperson told C+D that the government does not at present have plans to amend state indemnity measures to cover community pharmacy teams.
However, the survey’s findings will help the DH “determine how best to address the issues raised in the [Paterson] report”, they noted.
“We welcome responses from healthcare professionals, including those in community pharmacy teams, to improve our understanding of their current indemnity and insurance arrangements,” the spokesperson added.
Survey to increase understanding of indemnity market
The DH published its response to the Paterson Inquiry report in December, in which it pledged to “address issues relating to the indemnity of healthcare professionals not covered by government.
It also committed to conducting a survey this year to better understand healthcare professionals’ indemnity and insurance arrangements, the spokesperson said.
The inquiry’s recommendations had focused on “improving access to compensation for patients, rather than extending the scope of government indemnity”, they clarified.
The survey, which asks healthcare workers about their cover, aims to improve the DH’s “understanding of the indemnity market and […] ensure that any future changes are in the best interests of both patients and healthcare professionals”, it wrote on the survey landing page.
NPA: No gap in indemnity cover market
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) director of corporate affairs Gareth Jones told C+D today that the organisation had discussed the Paterson Inquiry with the DH “in relation to ensuring that all healthcare professionals have appropriate indemnity cover in place”.
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The NPA has informed the government that “fully regulated professional indemnity insurance products are already in place in community pharmacy”, he said.
“We do not believe there is a gap that needs addressing in respect of cover for community pharmacy,” Mr Jones stated.
PDA: All pharmacists should have independent cover
Paul Day, director at the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) – which offers its own private indemnity cover to pharmacists – said he had not previously been aware of the government’s survey.
“All health professionals should have their own independent cover in place,” he added.
Examples such as the Peppermint Water Case – in which a pharmacist and pre-registration trainee for were fined for dispensing a peppermint water prescription that lead to the death of a baby –“demonstrate the issues of relying on employer’s cover”, Mr Day claimed.
Community pharmacy teams that participated in phase 1 and 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme were initially eligible for state-backed cover under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Coronavirus (CNSC).
However, contractors have had to pay for their indemnity cover since phase 3 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.