23/07/2020
Identifying Gaps in Your Private Ambulance Insurance
Did you know that many private ambulance firms don’t have the same insurer covering their Public Liability and Medical Malpractice risks?
Maybe you’re one of them.
Did you know that this might mean you have an exposure for a potential gap in cover?
For example, a Public Liability insurer will typically exclude any claim relating to treatment or care of a patient. They believe that these risks are covered by your Medical Malpractice insurer.
That’s because a Medical Malpractice insurer will typically cover the risk of malpractice in treating or caring for a patient.
In a perfect world these two instances would dovetail nicely.
But we don’t live in a perfect world – and this could leave your business exposed to potential claims.
Scenario Planning
To help explain what I mean, I’ve pulled together an example that highlights what a gap in insurance could mean for your private ambulance business.
Imagine a patient has been placed on a stretcher and is being carried towards your ambulance. On the way, a member of your team carrying the stretcher loses their footing and the patient falls from the stretcher, sustaining injury.
Your Public Liability insurers do not consider themselves liable because the patient was in the process of being “treated”. The Malpractice insurers, on the other hand, do not consider this to be a valid claim under their policy, because no “treatment” had been administered. Thus, the two insurers argue the case over whose policy should cover the claim for the injured third-party patient.
Not only does the argument delay the claim payment to the third-party patient, but it may result in adverse PR for your business, damaging your reputation.
What Can We Do About It?
It is crucial that – wherever possible – you have the same insurer covering both your Public Liability and Medical Malpractice risk.
While this is not always possible (some frontline NHS risks, for example, often need split insurers), there is no reason for most private ambulance companies to not have a common insurer.
Thanks to our experience in the sector, we understand the impact of this potential exposure to your business where different insurers each deny liability under their policy. That’s why we work with insurers who can cover both Public Liability and Medical Malpractice risks.
If you think you have this potential exposure to a gap in cover, give us a call on 01603 218295. We’ll speak to you about your insurance and outline how any gaps can be filled.
Related Articles
