The health and social care sector is a crucial part of our society. Care workers do vital work in the UK every single day, and yet the sector in general remains often underfunded and underappreciated while carers put themselves at risk. One thing you can do to protect yourself is to make sure you’re properly insured.
Carers play an important part in the community and make a huge difference in people’s lives. From being a self-employed carer assisting someone with mobility issues getting out of bed and helping them with their personal care to running everyday tasks such as shopping and preparing meals as a domiciliary care worker, the role of a carer is varied and unceasing.
Personal care assistant insurance is not mandatory in the UK – so why should carers have insurance? This guide covers all your questions.
In this guide, we’ll highlight why carers need insurance and what carer’s employers (whether an agency or hiring a carer via direct payments) need to know.
What Is Carers Insurance?
Carers Insurance is an umbrella term applying to a range of different insurance policies designed to cover different types of care workers. For example, we offer self-employed carers insurance for carers running their own business, home care insurance for agencies, and domiciliary care insurance for care workers providing companionship and support.
Carers insurance covers you should something happen to you or your client will you are working. That includes liability cover in case of accidental property damage, injuries or legal expenses. Each policy is different, depending on whether it covers the self-employed carer, a carer agency or the carer’s employer.
PA & Carers Insurance
Cover available for:
- Self-Employed Carers & PAs
- Individual Employers
- Carer & PA Businesses
- Direct Payments
- Domiciliary Carers
- Home Employment Cover (for those that employ carers in their home)
Why Carers Should Have Carers Insurance
Personal care assistant insurance might not be mandatory requirement – but it something that most carers will be expected to have, by both their clients and by any hiring agencies.
Carers insurance is an investment that you make in order to protect yourself in the event of an error, accident, or potential abuse claims while you are at work. Having public liability insurance in place, if nothing else, gives you and your clients that essential peace of mind that you have protection in place should something go wrong.
Without insurance, you leave yourself and your clients vulnerable to devastating legal fees in the event you are taken to court for a claim of negligence due to an accident or error. What’s more, carers insurance can also cover you should you be injured at work and no longer to perform your responsibilities.
What Does Carers Insurance Cover You For?
Here are some of the key elements a carers insurance policy will include, providing you and your clients with peace of mind that you have cover in place should something happen.
Public Liability
Public liability insurance protects you if a mistake is made, like administering incorrect medication or causing injury to somebody whilst caring for them. Public liability insurance covers you for:
- Accidental injury to any person
- Loss of or damage to any property
Personal Effects/Loss of Property
This aspect of the Carers insurance policy covers loss or damage to your belongings etc while doing your job and may cover you for:
- Loss of or damage to personal belongings at work
- Personal or user’s belongings being stolen
- Key & lock replacement
- Damage to user’s property by forced access due to a medical emergency
Personal Accident
The Personal accident side of the policy would cover you if you have an accident while working as a carer – e.g. a back injury while lifting the person you are a carer for.
This can include things such as:
- Overnight hospital stay for yourself due to bodily injury
- Permanent total or partial disablement
- Bodily injury including accidental death
Legal Expenses/ Legal Rights
Protects your legal rights arising out of allegations of negligence or abuse arising out of your employment as a carer.
Each policy varies depending on which company you decide to insure with, but generally, these are the things covered under this section:
- Legal defense and costs in case of allegations of negligence or abuse
- Carers legal protection & 24/7 Legal Advice Helpline
Who Needs Carers Insurance?
Carers insurance is something that any paid carer should have to protect you, your colleagues, and the people you provide care to. Different types of carers insurance policies are available to:
Self-Employed Carers
Self-employed carers run their own business. If this applies to you, then you are solely responsible for organising your own insurance as well as other aspects of your business such as taxes, marketing, and perks such as setting your own hours and rates.
A self-employed carer needs insurance that will cover things such as accidental injury (to yourself, your client, or another member of the public), loss or damage to your property, and allegations of negligence or abuse.
Read more about what self-employed carers insurance covers.
Carer Employment Insurance
Carer employment insurance applies to businesses that employ carers and personal assistants to provide care services to your clients. As an employer, you are legally required to provide insurance for your employees, protecting their health & safety under Employers Liability Insurance.
In addition, Carer Employment Insurance covers you, your employees, and your colleagues in case of accidental loss or damage to property, accidental injury to your client or a third party, and legal expenses.
Read more about what Carer Employment Insurance covers.
Home Employment Carers Insurance
Home employment insurance is available for people with care needs who hire a carer or personal assistant themselves. If you fund your own care, or receive financial support (through Direct Payments, for example), to hire one or multiple carers, then you are considered an Employer under UK law and as such, you are legally required to provide employers liability insurance for your employees – i.e. your carers.
In addition, this type of policy will also cover you and your employees against claims for public liability (accidental loss or damage to property), and legal expenses.
Find out more about Home Employment Carers Insurance.
Is Carers Insurance a Legal Requirement for Self-Employed Carers?
Private carers or personal care assistants are required to have Public Liability Insurance, which provides cover in situations that may involve personal injury, accidents, abuse claims, errors, and other risks within the job role.
If you are employed directly by someone, for example via Direct Payments, they are also legally required to have Employer’s Liability Insurance.
Carers insurance is a small investment compared to the potentially devastating legal expenses you could face were you to be taken to court for an accidental injury to your client, for example, or the potential loss of income you might face should you be injured while at work.
Care Home Requirements
If you are employing carers in any capacity, then it is a legal requirement for you to provide insurance for your employees that protects their health & safety, this specific type of cover is called Employers Liability Insurance.
Employers’ liability insurance is one of the few compulsory insurances. Companies that employ one or more members of staff, whether paid or volunteers, require this cover.
Employers’ liability policies cover claims made against your company in the event of an accident, injury or illness sustained by your staff at work or as a result of work.
