Professional Indemnity Insurance as part of BDA membership
For all BDA full member dietitians, associate member support workers/assistants and SENR registrants, professional indemnity insurance (PII) is provided as part of BDA membership for up to £10 million in any one claim and up to £20 million in aggregate for the membership year.
Why dietitians need Professional Indemnity Insurance
The UK government introduced legislation in 2014 which requires registrants to have a professional indemnity arrangement in place as a condition of their registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It is essential that registered dietitians and support staff are covered with Professional Indemnity Insurance, and if you practise without cover, you will be breaking the law.
Your employer or Trust may well have policies in place which may appear to cover you, but it is important to highlight that they will not support you if (commonly) they are the ones bringing the action against you. If, for example they deem you to have breached your contract with them, through negligence, or practicing outside your scope or job description, your employer can sue you for damages in the same way you can sue them.
BDA members are protected from the dangers of action being instigated by the employer against the practitioner as membership includes professional indemnity insurance alongside robust industrial relations support through the Trade Union. This ensures completely independent and personalised support and cover.