Professional Indemnity Insurance for Pharmacists
All pharmacies are required to hold professional indemnity insurance cover as part of the pharmacy’s registration requirements.
These indemnity policies do not always cover individual pharmacists (for example, employee pharmacists, locum pharmacists and former employees) in respect of legal representation/assistance with disciplinary matters. Disciplinary matters may include complaints received by the PSI. If a pharmacist is not covered and wishes to avail of legal representation, they may have to do so at their own expense.
In light of this, all pharmacists may wish to consider reviewing their professional indemnity situation, as it relates to disciplinary matters, and consider supplementary professional indemnity insurance cover, if required.
Pharmacists must ensure that they are covered by professional indemnity insurance. Following the introduction of S.I. 65 of 2015 relating to cross-border healthcare, the HSE has recently clarified that health professionals providing cross-border health care in the State must also have professional indemnity insurance, either personally or through their employer.
Pharmacists are advised to clarify the status of their indemnity cover with the employer in each pharmacy where they practise, ensuring that the correct and appropriate indemnity cover is in place.
