If you work in the care industry as a self-employed carer or personal care assistant, your job revolves around caring for people who can’t care for themselves. You are a vital lifeline for those in need, but your job isn’t without its risks.
As with any job, mistakes can be made and injuries can occur. It’s essential to have the right insurance in place to protect you from any accidents, injuries to yourself or others, or any other claims which could impact your career and income.
Here are the types of carer insurance you need to consider:
Public liability insurance for carers
The most important insurance to take out if you’re working as a self-employed carer is public liability insurance, sometimes referred to as self-employed carer insurance.
This is because your role comes with a lot of responsibility, and could potentially put you at risk of claims being brought against you for mistakes, accidents, injuries or even alleged abuse by person you’re caring for. Although this is not yet a legal requirement in the UK, it is recommended for peace of mind.
An example might be if you’re responsible for administering medicine, and you inadvertently give the incorrect dosage, or miss one altogether. Another scenario might be that the person you’re caring for has a fall while you’re helping them move from one room to another, or helping them out of the bath.
Whether or not an accident was your fault, you could be held responsible for any adverse effects on the person you’re caring for, and that’s why public liability insurance for carers is a must.
It’s there to help you cover the cost of legal representation and compensation costs, which could range from a few thousand pounds to millions, if you’re found to have been to blame for something that’s happened. You can include cover for things like working at night, administering medicine, personal care, accidental damage to property and any other tasks or situations you might face in your work as a carer.
Do carers need indemnity insurance?
Public liability insurance isn’t the only cover you might want to consider if you’re setting yourself up as a self-employed carer.
If there’s a risk you could be injured yourself – for example if you severely cut yourself while you’re preparing food for the person you’re caring for, or they fall on you while you’re helping them move around and you injure your back or knee – you might want to add personal injury cover.
As with other kinds of business, professional indemnity insurance is worth looking into if you’re going to be giving advice or providing any kind of service in which you could potentially make mistakes that result in loss or damage to your clients.
Do carers need business car insurance?
Business insurance for carers is covered by public liability insurance, however, if you use your vehicle for work of any kind, you will need to discuss this with your provider or broker. Most of the time, your standard policy will suffice however you will need to add personal business use which may increase your premium.
Brokers, like A-Plan, will ascertain the best policy to suit your needs depending whether your vehicle has been adapted or modified to suit the individuals you are caring for, and whether you are paid for the journey as if you were a taxi, which could also affect your policy.
The best thing to do if you are seeking car insurance for carers is to get in touch with your local branch who can talk you through the finer points to find you the right policy.
Carer insurance to CQC standards
At A-Plan, we pride ourselves on caring about carers and some excellent policy enhancements designed to keep you on the road, and looking after those who can’t look after themselves.
Our comprehensive cover meets CQC standards, and that’s reflected in the great feedback we receive.
Whether we’re providing you with advice you can trust, sending you copies of your carers insurance policy, or being by your side in the unfortunate event of a claim, you can rely on us to help you find the right business insurance cover and support for the unique requirements of your care work.
You can call us or pop into one of our local, high street branches to speak to our friendly team and find out more.