Do I Need Insurance to Be a Self-Employed Carer?

As a self-employed carer, it is crucial to have Public Liability Insurance to safeguard against risks that occur during tasks like administering medication or assisting movement, with coverage extending to personal injury, errors, and accidents not covered by the client’s home insurance.

Let us break down the details of why you need insurance.

What Is Carer Liability Insurance?

Carer insurance is a specialised form of public liability insurance that provides cover for self-employed carers while they are in patients’ homes. This kind of insurance protects carers from lawsuits as a result of accidents caused during their work.

Why Do I Need Carer Insurance?

While you don’t technically need insurance to work with a client directly, it would be irresponsible not to hold some kind of insurance. It’s beneficial for two reasons:

1. It Will Help You Attract More Clients

Many clients are keen to see your insurance documents during the interviewing process. It’s a way to demonstrate your credibility and prove that you aren’t a cowboy.

2. It Will Protect You From Disasters and the Mundane

When we think of insurance, we’re usually thinking of being accused of things we didn’t do or catastrophic accidents. Still, carer insurance can also protect you from accidental damage to a client’s possessions. Whether it be the washing machine door or a prang on their car, accidents can happen.

When you have insurance, these nuisances don’t need to cause you and your client to fall out, as nobody is left out of pocket.

How Do I Qualify for Carer Insurance?

Buying carer insurance is a pretty straightforward process. Typically fees are fixed for everyone and there aren’t many questions to answer. Having said that, it’s essential to pay attention to the terms and conditions of the insurance.

Most carer liability insurance is contingent on you keeping to the following rules:

• You aren’t carrying out caring duties you haven’t been trained for
• You aren’t using equipment in a way other than intended

Let’s illustrate these points with the following examples:

Example 1

If you haven’t received training on catheter care from a previous employer or paid for yourself recently, then you shouldn’t be helping with your client’s catheter.

Example 2

A second example that often trips people up surrounds using a mobile hoist. A mobile hoist is designed to be operated by two carers, so if you were to use this on your own, you would no longer be insured.

Do I need carer insurance when working with PrimeCarers?

No. We already insure any carer working a booked visit on the PrimeCarers platform. It’s one of the ways that we can guarantee insurance to clients, which gives them one less thing to worry about when hiring a private carer.

What Car Insurance Do I Need if I’m a Carer?

If you plan on transporting a client in your own car for any reason then you must have business car insurance. This is an upgrade to your typical car insurance that allows you to use the car for business purposes. It usually doesn’t cost much and can be organised with a phone call to your existing insurer, but it’s easy to miss this detail as a carer.

Conclusion

We hope this deep dive into carer insurance has helped to explain some more of the details surrounding carer insurance.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a self-employed carer, then check out our complete guide on the subject.