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CSP PLI scheme

All physiotherapists must have appropriate indemnity as a condition of their registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). 

All members of the CSP, except categories GA-graduate affiliate, Q-overseas and C-non-practising, benefit from the CSP professional liability insurance (PLI) scheme. It is your responsibility to understand the terms and conditions of the scheme by reading the full policy documents.

Forthcoming changes to PLI scheme from 1 July 2024

  • Exclusion: No cover for acupuncture/needling used around the thorax and/or thoracic organs. The thoracic organs are defined as the Oesophagus, Heart, Lungs, Thymus and Trachea. Cover remains until 1st July 2024 subject to policy T&Cs. Read our FAQs
  • Clarification: Updated wording for supervision requirements for students at UK HEIs who undertake overseas practice placements as part of pre-registration qualifying hours.

 Please contact your business insurers or James Hallam for advice before making any changes to your existing covers. 

The basics

The CSP PLI scheme provides two separate insurance policies for you:

  • Medical Malpractice Insurance: This covers claims for personal injury to your patients arising from your work e.g. failing to assess and treat properly or harming your patient with your treatment.
  • Public Liability Insurance: This covers non-personal injury claims that are not associated with your treatments e.g. slips, trips and falls coming in and out of your clinic.

At a glance

The scheme covers you for all your individual physiotherapy work:

  • for all activities within the scope of physiotherapy practice – there is no list of ‘included’ activities but the treatment of animals, some professional footballers, spinal injection therapy, nerve blocks and acupuncture when used for fertility treatment are excluded.
  • wherever you work – hospital, clinic, gyms, sports venues, patients’ homes and anywhere else that you work with your patients.
  • whether you are full- or part-time.
  • if you have more than one place or type of work.
  • if you work in healthcare, education or social care settings for paid, unpaid and voluntary work.
  • for 'return to practice', student practice placements and work experience arrangements.
  • undertaken in the UK, and allows you to work overseas (but not in the USA, Canada or Australia) for up to 180 days without needing extra insurance.
  • Once your student membership has converted to a Graduate Affiliate category, you do not have PLI cover. This means you must convert your membership to a full-practising category once you have your HCPC number if you need PLI. You must source insurance elsewhere for any work non-physiotherapy work undertaken between being a student and becoming a practising physiotherapist.

Employers are responsible for insuring their employees. If you undertake work outside of any employment contract, you must you ensure you have appropriate insurance in place.

Separate insurance may be required for some types of corporate entities and businesses formed by members. The CSP scheme is not business insurance. Separate insurance is required if you are not working within the scope of physiotherapy practice. This includes overseas development, humanitarian or general voluntary work. If you are not sure whether you are doing any given activity as a physiotherapist, see our scope pages

Advanced practice

Members may need to seek their own contract/business advice if they are unclear on how their business model might affect indemnity provision. The CSP PLI scheme only covers work within the scope of physiotherapy practice (subject to T&C's).  See our Clinical Services and Scope of Practice pages.

  • Where you are directly employed by an NHS organisation, your work, including the aspects outside the scope of physiotherapy practice, will come under the indemnity arrangements of the NHS (CNST/CNSGP).
  • Where you provide your services directly to an NHS organisation through your own company or via a locum agency, the indemnity provision for your work may still fall within the remit of NHS schemes. You must make sure you understand the contract that you have with the organisation and whether indemnity ought to be provided. Keep a copy of your contract and indemnity terms.
  • In independent practice where the NHS contracts with other non-NHS providers to provide NHS services, and the private provider then sub-contracts the work down to you, either via your own company or via a locum agency, the indemnity position may not be clear. The CSP PLI scheme only covers work within the scope of physiotherapy practice. Keep a copy of your contract and indemnity terms.

Terms, conditions and exclusions to the scheme apply. You must read the policy documents to understand what these are and whether they affect your work. If you need other types of insurance contact the CSP's insurance broker, James Hallam for advice.

Need evidence of your insurance cover?

You can now download your personal 'Evidence of insurance document' from the website. To use this service you need to be a current CSP member of one of the following types: Practising member, Associate member, Associate student member or Life member. 

If you need a copy of your insurance policy wordings, please print off a copy of the documents below.

Need to make a PLI notification?

You must tell the insurers about certain events. If you need to make a claims notification please follow these steps:

  1. Contact James Hallam yourself on 01245 428173 (direct number) and ask to speak to one of the team who look after CSP claims. You must provide your name and e-mail address to James Hallam so they can assist you. The CSP does not do this for you.
  2. Alternatively, email promedschemes@jameshallam.co.uk and advise that you need to make a CSP claim notification.
  3. James Hallam will send you a Claims Notification Guide and a Claims Notification Link by e-mail, so please ensure you have provided an up-to-date e-mail address. Please ensure your CSP membership contact details are also up to date .
  4. Read the Claims Notification guide to help you understand the process.
  5. Open the claims notification link, and complete and submit the claims notification form.
  6. James Hallam will support you through the process after that and provide help where needed.

Please remember:

  • You do not need the consent of the patient to provide their personal details when filling in the PLI Notification Form (Data Protection Act s35(2)).
  • Do not send the CSP any patient identifiable information, physiotherapy records, reports or solicitor’s letters sent to you under any circumstances.

Membership categories and PLI cover

You must be a member of the CSP at the time of any event that subsequently gives rise to a notification or claim against you in the future. PLI cover cannot apply retrospectively. Please consider your insurance provision carefully if you are thinking of cancelling CSP membership. Run off cover is in place for former CSP members, but only for claims that arose while they were in active membership, subject to terms and conditions.

You must ensure that you are in the correct CSP membership category. Please note:

  • Full Practising: You must have an HCPC number to be in category B or BE. If you are in the subcategory BE you must also have parallel teaching union membership. If you are not a member of a teaching union you must move to category B.
  • Associate: This includes overseas qualified physiotherapists undergoing a ‘period of adaptation’, and UK qualified physiotherapists undergoing ‘return to practice’ who do not yet hold an HCPC number. When you have your HCPC number you must move to a new relevant category. You must be undertaking physiotherapy activities and have your work solely delegated to you by a registered Physiotherapist or other registered health professional. If you are doing non-delegated tasks or seeing patients without referral from a physiotherapist or other health professional, then this work will not be covered by the scheme and you will need to find alternative insurance.
  • Retired: For those who have stopped working completely. Reduced cover for strictly ‘non-practising’ activities such as speaking engagements. If you wish to offer any form of clinical knowledge, skills and/or experience such as direct practice, lecturing or voluntary work you must remain on the HCPC register and in the full-practising CSP membership category.
  • Graduate Affiliate: Student members will be moved to this category from the 1st of the month after the completion of their pre-registration programme. There is no PLI cover for this category. Once you have your HCPC number, you must move to a full-practising category if you intend to work as a physiotherapist.
  • Non-Practising: There is no PLI cover provided in this category as it is presumed you are not working as a physiotherapist in any capacity, and therefore do not need cover. 

Key information

Insurer

Professional Liability – The MPLC Ltd on behalf of certain Lloyds Underwriters.

Public Liability – Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance plc

Limits of Indemnity

Professional Liability – £7.5 million in any one claim with an overall limit of £10 million in respect of all claims in any one period of insurance per member.

Public Liability – £10 million in any one claim. £10 million in the annual aggregate for product liability claims.

Basis of coverClaims made (claims must be reported during the currency of the policy).

Retroactive Cover

Work undertaken from the date of CSP membership is included.
Run OffProvided for members who leave the CSP /retire from practice provided the CSP continues to purchase a PLI scheme for members and the claim arises from work done by an individual while they were a CSP member.
ExcessNone. Members do not have to make any contribution to the costs of a claim.
BeneficiariesThe CSP is the policy holder. Individual CSP members resident in the UK benefit from the scheme.
What's coveredProfessional Liability – all work within the scope of physiotherapy practice but excluding the treatment of animals and certain professional footballers, spinal injections and acupuncture when used for fertility treatment.

 

Note: In the event of any dispute the full policy wording overrides any information contained in these webpages and the underwriters are the final arbiters of any decision to offer members cover under the policy based on their individual circumstances.

Key documents 

  1. Full Policy Wording CSP PLI (medical malpractice) scheme 2023-24
    This document provides the full terms and conditions of the medical malpractice and professional indemnity policy. As with all insurance policies, you should read and understand the policy and talk to the CSP brokers if you have any concerns.
  2. CSP Public liability insurance master schedule 2023-24
    This document provides details of the public liability policy specific to the CSP, as well as any exclusions and amendments to the full policy. You should read this alongside the full policy document. As with all insurance policies, you should read and understand the policy and talk to the CSP brokers if you have any concerns.
  3. Full Policy Wording CSP Public Liability scheme 2023-24
    This document provides the full terms and conditions of the public liability policy. As with all insurance policies, you should read and understand the policy and talk to the CSP brokers if you have any concerns.
  4. The summary of members PLI insurance scheme 2023-24
    This document provides the key points of the CSP scheme to help you understand what is covered under the CSP scheme
  5. Quick PLI reference guide
    This document provides a quick and easy reference to key points of the CSP’s PLI Scheme for members.
  6. Business Insurance Guidance for Members 

Further information

The CSP is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to give insurance advice. For specific insurance related enquiries you can contact the CSP insurance brokers:

James Hallam
Saxon House
Duke Street
Chelmsford
Essex CM1 1HT

Tel: 01245 321185; 

email: promedschemes@jameshallam.co.uk

James Hallam website

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