April 2026
As a doctor in private practice, you dedicate your focus to patient care and clinical excellence. Most practitioners are diligent about maintaining their Medical Indemnity Insurance.
However, a common and risky misconception is that Medical Indemnity also protects you against everyday, non‑clinical incidents that can occur in your practice.
It doesn’t. That’s where Public Liability Insurance becomes essential.
Medical Indemnity Insurance is designed to protect you against claims arising from your professional medical services. This includes allegations of negligence, misdiagnosis, or errors in treatment.
Public Liability Insurance, on the other hand, protects your practice against claims of personal injury or property damage suffered by third parties (patients, visitors, suppliers, or contractors) due to incidents that are not related to medical treatment.
In simple terms:
If an incident has nothing to do with a clinical decision or medical procedure, your Medical Indemnity policy is unlikely to respond.
To understand why this cover is critical, consider the following common scenarios in a private practice setting:
These are not rare or extreme examples, they are everyday incidents that occur across professional offices, including medical practices.
*Examples only, subject to policy terms & conditions
If you operate from:
You may be legally responsible for injuries or damage that occur in or around your practice.
Without Public Liability Insurance, the financial burden falls directly on you or your business, potentially involving:
Many landlords require tenants to hold Public Liability Insurance, but even when it’s not contractually mandated, it remains a critical risk management tool.
Most medical practices carry Public Liability limits of $10 million or $20 million, depending on:
Selecting the right limit and ensuring there are no gaps between policies, is where professional advice is invaluable.
As specialist insurance brokers working with medical professionals, we help ensure:
Insurance should support your practice, not surprise you when something goes wrong.
If you have questions about your current cover, are setting up a new practice, or want to ensure your risks are properly managed, we’re here to help.
Reach out to AMA Insurance Brokers for a discussion or a review of your existing policies. We’re happy to assist.
This article is of a general nature only and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. It isalso not financial advice, nor complete, so please discuss the full details with your Steadfast insurance broker as to whetherthese types of insurance are appropriate for you. Deductibles, exclusions and limits apply. You should consider any relevant.
This article provides information rather than financial product or other advice. The content of this article, including any information contained in it, has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information, taking these matters into account, before you act on any information. In particular, you should review the product disclosure statement for any product that the information relates to it before acquiring the product.
Information is current as at the date the article is written as specified within it but is subject to change. Steadfast Group Ltd and Steadfast Network Brokers make no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information. Various third parties have contributed to the production of this content. All information is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Steadfast Group Limited.
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