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Healthcare Practice Insurance

Insurance built for
dental & medical
practices.

Most insurance brokers don't understand how healthcare practices work — the regulatory obligations, the clinical risks, the difference between treatment liability and professional indemnity. We do. Forum Insurance has placed cover for dental practices, GP surgeries, and specialist clinics for over 35 years.

CQC-aware policies NHS & private practices Specialist PI cover Cyber & data protection

Quick Practice Quote

We'll call you back within the hour.

No automated quotes. A specialist broker calls you.

Who We Cover

Every type of healthcare practice.

Whether you run a single-chair dental surgery, a multi-site GP group, or a cosmetic aesthetics clinic, we have the specialist markets and the know-how to protect your practice properly.

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Dental Practices

NHS, private, and mixed practices. From single-dentist surgeries to group practices with multiple associates and hygienists.

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GP & Medical Practices

Primary care practices, private GP surgeries, and multi-partner medical centres. Clinical and non-clinical cover under one policy.

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Private & Cosmetic Clinics

Aesthetic, dermatology, and cosmetic procedure clinics. Specialist treatment liability cover where standard policies fall short.

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Physiotherapy & Allied Health

Physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, podiatrists, and occupational therapists. Regulated professions with specific PI requirements.

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Opticians & Optical Practices

Independent opticians and multi-location optical practices. Cover for clinical and retail elements of the business.

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Specialist Clinics

Cardiology, radiology, minor surgery, and other specialist outpatient clinics. We access markets not available through standard brokers.

What We Cover

Every risk your practice faces.

A healthcare practice carries unique risks that don't fit standard commercial policies. Here's what we build into your cover.

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Professional Indemnity

Covers claims arising from professional errors, omissions, or negligent advice. Essential for any regulated healthcare professional.

Regulatory requirement
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Practice & Buildings Insurance

Buildings, fit-out, specialist dental equipment, reception contents, and costly clinical equipment — all at correct reinstatement value.

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Employers Liability

Legally required for all practices with employees. Covers staff injury or illness claims including dental nurses, receptionists, and associates.

Legal requirement
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Public & Treatment Liability

Covers patient injury during treatment and third-party claims on your premises. Separate to professional indemnity — both are needed.

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Business Interruption

If a key clinician is incapacitated or premises are damaged, BI cover replaces lost income during the recovery period. Often overlooked — rarely covered by default.

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Cyber & Data Protection

Patient records are a high-value target. Covers data breaches, ransomware, ICO fines, and patient notification costs. Especially important post-GDPR.

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Management Liability

Protects practice principals and directors from personal liability for management decisions. Includes employment practices liability.

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Equipment Breakdown

Dental chairs, X-ray units, autoclave sterilisers, and IT systems. Covers repair or replacement when equipment failure disrupts the practice.

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Legal Expenses

Regulatory defence costs — including CQC investigations, GDC / GMC proceedings, and employment tribunals. Legal fees can be significant without cover.

Professional Indemnity

PI vs treatment liability — do you have both?

This is one of the most common gaps we find in practice policies. Professional indemnity and treatment liability are not the same thing — and most practices need both.

Professional Indemnity covers...

Claims arising from negligent advice, diagnosis, or professional services — where you gave advice or made a clinical decision that caused harm.

Treatment / Public Liability covers...

Physical injury or property damage during treatment — a patient injured in the chair, a reaction to a product used, slipping on the practice floor.

Run-off cover

Claims from past work can arise years later. Run-off cover protects you after you cease practice or sell — often forgotten until it's too late.

Retroactive cover

Your new policy should cover claims that arise from past work. We verify this on every placement — not all policies include it.

CQC & Regulation

Insurance that understands your regulatory obligations.

CQC-registered practices have specific requirements that affect your insurance. We make sure your cover reflects them.

CQC investigation defence

Regulatory investigations are time-consuming and expensive. Legal expenses cover ensures you can properly defend your practice.

GDC / GMC proceeding cover

Regulatory body proceedings against individual clinicians can be covered under legal expenses — protecting both the practice and the individual.

Correct liability limits

CQC registration may influence minimum indemnity levels. We verify that your limits of indemnity are appropriate for your practice type.

NHS vs private distinction

Some policies treat NHS and private work differently. We clarify this at placement to ensure both are covered under the same policy.

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A note on cosmetic & aesthetic procedures

If your practice offers injectables, fillers, laser treatments, or other cosmetic procedures, these must be explicitly declared. Many policies exclude cosmetic work unless it is specifically underwritten. We ensure this is covered — or arrange a separate policy where required.

Why Forum Insurance

A broker who understands your practice.

Healthcare is a specialist sector. We've been placing practice insurance for over 35 years.

01

We know the sector

We understand the difference between NHS and private cover obligations, what CQC registration means for insurance, and what happens when a GDC complaint is made. Most brokers don't. We do.

02

Specialist insurer access

We access markets that are unavailable through standard comparison routes — Hiscox, Markel, AXA and others with genuine appetite for healthcare risks. That means better terms, broader cover, and fewer exclusions.

03

We review your existing cover

Before we quote, we review what you already have. We find the gaps that a generic renewal would miss — and explain them in plain language, not insurance jargon.

04

One broker for everything

Practice buildings, PI, employers liability, cyber, equipment, legal expenses — all placed through one broker with one renewal date. Less administration, no gaps between policies.

Claims In Practice

When it matters most, we're there.

A professional indemnity claim doesn't have to end your practice — if you have the right cover and the right broker.

Anonymised claim example — Professional Services

£135,000 professional indemnity claim — settled by insurer.

An IT consultant implemented a system update that caused a major client's platform to go offline for 36 hours during peak trading. The client claimed for loss of sales and emergency recovery costs. The professional indemnity insurer appointed solicitors, managed the entire claim, and settled it in full. The consultant retained the client relationship.

The lesson for healthcare practices: a PI claim can arise from something that seemed routine at the time. Inadequate coverage, or a policy with restrictive wording, can leave you personally exposed to costs that far exceed the annual premium.

Claim Value £135,000
Outcome Full settlement
Paid by Insurer

Want to see more? View our claims examples →

Common Questions

Answers for practice owners.

MDU and MPS provide clinical indemnity for individual practitioners — they cover the clinician personally for clinical negligence claims. They do not cover the practice as a business entity, nor do they cover employers liability, treatment liability, premises cover, or cyber. A practice policy and MDU/MPS membership serve very different purposes and most practices need both.
It depends on the policy and how your associates are structured. Associates who are self-employed and hold their own indemnity (MDU/MPS) are generally not covered by the practice policy for their clinical work — but the practice itself may still have liability exposure. We review your associate arrangements carefully and structure the policy to make sure there are no gaps between the practice policy and each associate's individual cover.
CQC registration creates specific regulatory obligations that have insurance implications — particularly around indemnity limits, legal defence cover for CQC investigations, and the treatment of regulated activities under your policy. Not all insurers understand this. We work with carriers who have written CQC-registered practice policies specifically and ensure your cover reflects your regulatory position.
Cosmetic and aesthetic procedures must be specifically declared and underwritten — they are not automatically included in a dental practice policy. This is one of the most common cover gaps we find. If your practice carries out injectables, fillers, laser, or other aesthetic treatments, this must be explicitly covered either within your main practice policy or under a separate specialist policy. We ensure this is in place.
Professional indemnity claims can arise years after the work was carried out — sometimes a decade later. When you sell or close a practice, you need run-off cover to protect against claims from past work. Run-off cover is often a single premium and can be arranged for a defined period. We advise on this at the point of practice sale or cessation — not as an afterthought.
A typical dental or medical practice policy ranges from £1,500 to £12,000 per year depending on practice size, turnover, number of practitioners, the scope of procedures carried out, and your claims history. The wide range reflects the genuine variation in practice risk. The best way to get an accurate figure is to call us — we'll give you a straightforward indication within 24 hours.

Rather talk it through first?

Book a free 30-minute call with our Healthcare Specialist — no prep needed, no obligation.

Get a Quote

Practice insurance,
done properly.

Tell us about your practice and a specialist healthcare broker will call you back within the hour. No automated quotes. No call centres. Just expert advice from brokers who understand your world.

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Insurers we access for healthcare practices

Hiscox Markel AXA Aviva Zurich AIG CFC Dual QBE
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