Professional Liability Insurance

Our Professional Liability Insurance has been specifically designed to cover your work as an Exercise Professional including, where appropriate, work as a Fitness Trainer or Coach. It can be extended to cover work in related disciplines such as Sports & Exercise Psychology or Sports Massage*.

The policy provides, as standard, £10 million for public liability claims and £1.5 million for other civil liabilities (including the professional indemnity & malpractice risks). This is more than just public liability insurance. See below for more details.

Cost

Students: £43.80 (including ipt)*. When you qualify, you get a free automatic upgrade to the qualified level.

Accredited and Fellow: £65.17

This is the total annual cost including 12% insurance premium tax) and, unlike some insurance intermediaries, we don’t charge an ‘admin’ or ‘underwriting’ fee.

These rates apply to UK based members of Focus Exercise Professionals. They also apply to sole-practitioner limited companies (subject to turnover limits) run by members. We have competitive rates for larger companies too.

The chosen level of cover applies to each and every occurrence so, if there were to be more than one claim in any one year, the limit would not be eroded by the first claim, the full limit would still be available for any second or subsequent claim. The insurers will pay the legal costs and expenses in addition to the limit.

Cover is worldwide (but excludes claims brought in USA or Canada) and there is no excess payable.

The Cover

The policy is a Civil Liability insurance and its primary purpose is to defend any civil claims that might be made or threatened against you and/or to pay any award of damages or compensation should any such claim succeed.

Policy Main Features

Policy cover includes:
  • • Public and Product Liability (£10m)
  • • Professional Indemnity and
Malpractice
  • • Complaints & Disciplinary Hearings including help and support throughout the process
  • • Crisis Containment Insurance
  • • Confidential Notes & Records
  • • Directors & Officers Liability (up to £100,000) including outside entity cover, employment claims and official investigations.
  • • Professional Wills Cover—funding to help with management of your client records in the event of your death or incapacity
  • • Commercial Assistance & Legal help- line available 24/7

There is an option to extend cover to include Employer’s Liability if required*.

Policies are underwritten by specialist insurer Hiscox.

Public Liability

This is the insurance that deals with your liability for causing bodily injury to people or damage to property due to an accident caused by your negligence (for example an accident in the exercise space). The Insurers have provided cover up to £10 million as a standard feature of the policy. The cover applies to each and every occurrence; legal costs and expenses are payable by the insurers in addition to the limit (the only exception to this is for visits to the USA or Canada where costs are included within a single £10 million limit). Claims brought in US or Canadian courts are excluded.

Professional Indemnity

This insurance covers claims arising from your work as an Exercise Professional with a limit of £1.5 million applying to each and every occurrence. Cover is provided on a full civil liability basis which means that it is not restricted just to allegations of professional negligence. Insurers will pay the legal costs and expenses in addition to the limit including for work done in North America (claims brought in US or Canadian courts are excluded). If you are working extensively in North America, the policy can be extended to include US/Canada jurisdiction*.

Complaints & Disciplinary Hearings

Full help and support is provided should a complaint be made about you to your professional body or other regulator including specialist help in submitting your response and legal representation at disciplinary hearings.

Directors & Officers Liability

Covers your liability for decisions taken in running your business. Includes outside entity cover, employment claims and official investigations. Additional Cover Included

Additional Cover Included


Cover is also provided for
  • • Crisis Containment Insurance (up to £25,000)
  • • Disputed fees cover
  • • Confidential notes and records cover (up to £10,000)
  • • Professional Wills cover (up to £5,000)
  • • Losses from the Dishonesty of Employees (up to £30,000)
  • • Loss of Documents, including your business records, (up to £60,000)
  • • Statutory and Criminal Prosecution defence costs (up to £10 million)
  • • Worldwide cover including Over- seas Personal Liability
  • • Court or Disciplinary Hearing Expenses - up to £500 per day, when your attendance is required by the insurers at a court or disciplinary hearing
  • • In the event of death, retirement or a career break, the policy will be extended to allow notification for up to three years of claims arising from prior work
  • • 24-hour Commercial Assistance and Legal Helpline

The policy wording, which provides full details of the cover and the terms, conditions and exclusions that apply, is available upon request.

Claims Support

Just as important as the policy cover is the knowledge that you will be supported by experienced claims professionals. The team is headed up by Steve Johnson who has more than 30 years’ experience working with the Psychological & Exercise Professions.