Members patient transfer insurance
The Association has negotiated an exceptional deal to cover members who escort patients in ambulances or attend call outs.
The scope is very wide and includes travel in helicopters and aircraft, and the return journey. Even accidents while driving personal cars - for example to the scene of a major accident - are covered.
The cover is provided to all full, SAS, trainee and international members.
Cover is also provided to Anaesthesia Associate members of the Association, who must be accompanied by a consultant anaesthetist for the cover to be operative.
The key features of the cover available to members are:
- Up to £1 million per member, with a limit of £5 million per conveyance
- Worldwide scope
- Protection for usual occupation
- Cover for death or permanent disability
- A scale of benefits will be applied in respect of partial disability.
Non-members will find the level of cover available to them as an employee is inadequate. This is particularly so for trainees.
Cover up to £1 million
Cover is for up to £1 million, subject to a £5 million limit per vehicle (or aircraft/helicopter). This allows a full payout of £1 million each for up to five members in one conveyance, with a pro-rata reduction if there are more.
Members involved in vehicles carrying more than five passengers may wish to supplement the cover.
There are no restrictions, except when flying, when the member must be a passenger.
This insurance will aggregate with any other cover taken, whether private or another scheme.
Worldwide cover
The cover provided is worldwide, so practising members are included wherever they are located and wherever they transport patients. Please note that cover within war zones must be agreed with insurers prior to acceptance. Members who may be affected by this clause should notify the Association.
Also, there is a scale of payouts for injuries that are not fatal, based on standard percentages of the £1 million. The cover is for your usual occupation, that is, the exact type of work normally carried out by you. This is distinct from any other occupation a doctor might undertake following a non-fatal injury, for example becoming a GP.
Transfers of patients for a private organisation are covered and so are transfers in conveyances owned by other organisations, provided the member is a passenger when flying.
Because this insurance is a benefit for members, there is no separate amount to pay. The Association scheme is cost effective as it is a group scheme with many members.
Claims
Fortunately, claims are rare but any incident that could lead to a claim should be notified without delay. Contact Towergate the insurance brokers directly on 0344 892 1656, not the Association. These claims will be dealt with under the group policy.
If a member belongs to more than one society offering this cover, then the benefit is only payable once.
Not all doctors are regularly involved in transporting patients, but the insurance also covers death or injury while on the way from the member’s hospital to attend a major accident or emergency, or a patient call out. The inadequacy of cover available from NHS Trusts makes additional personal accident insurance a necessity for the majority of members. This now comes automatically with membership of the Association.
Download a summary of the patient transfer insurance.
If you have any questions, please contact Gemma Campbell, Director, Business Support & Deputy CEO, on [email protected].