Do Midwives Need Professional Indemnity Insurance?

As a midwife, you’re responsible for delivering babies and providing antenatal and postnatal support for women. With such an important and dynamic role, it’s essential that you have the right insurance cover in place so that you’re protected if something goes wrong. We often hear about Indemnity insurance for nurses but it’s important to remember that the need for cover also applies to midwives. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at professional indemnity insurance for midwives.

Is indemnity insurance compulsory for midwives?

Yes, it is. Under national law in Australia, midwives are unable to practice unless you hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance. Professional indemnity insurance is designed to protect you if a third party suffers loss or damage as a result of your actions, following an act, error, omission or breach of professional duty. As a midwife, you need to be able to provide evidence of your indemnity insurance to allow you to practice.

Why is indemnity insurance important for midwives?

While the work you do is undoubtedly rewarding, midwives are exposed to a number of unique risks which could see you at the receiving end of an indemnity claim. Some of the key exposures that midwives face include providing incorrect information, not providing advice at all, breaching privacy or confidentiality, failing to manage records correctly. In such a fast-paced and often high-pressure environment, midwives are faced with a number of risks which other health professionals don’t encounter.

Is indemnity insurance provided through my employer?

If you work for an employer, such as a hospital, it’s likely that they’ll already have professional indemnity insurance in place. However, always check that this is the case and also ask to look at the detail of your cover through your employer to ensure you’re adequately covered. If you’re a private midwife, you’ll need to arrange your own indemnity cover.

What if I have more questions about indemnity insurance?

If you’re not sure if your current indemnity insurance is sufficient to cover your areas of risk, all you need to do is speak to your insurance broker and they’ll be able to give you more information. Make sure your broker has experience assisting nurses and midwives with insurance cover so they have a good understanding of your specific situation.

At GSK Insurance Brokers, we provide professional indemnity insurance for nurses so you can be confident that your risks are covered. We pride ourselves on our commitment to customer service and we take the time to get to know all of your risks for targeted insurance cover. If you’re not sure what type of nursing insurance is right for you, speak one of our brokers today.

For more information about indemnity insurance for nurses, contact GSK Insurance Brokers on (08) 9478 1933.