We consistently offer competitively-priced insurance, managed by experienced professionals.

Our locum insurance and overheads insurance premiums are not age-related, so you won't have to pay more for older colleagues and we don't charge higher premiums for women or for smokers.

We can cover individuals or groups, with a generous group discount for policies covering 3 or more people.

You'll be covered for absence from work due to illness and accident (including most sporting and leisure activities). We can also cover you for other absences and our cover automatically includes a lump sum in the event of accidental injury or death.

Our Absence Insurance has been designed for members of the medical professions such as GPs, dentists, opticians, veterinary surgeons, allied health professionals and their staff.

Its aim is to meet the costs you will incur as a result of your absence or the absence of a colleague.

We call it Absence Insurance because you don't have to get a locum in order to claim.

Overheads Insurance has been designed for fee-earners who own and run a services-based business. This could include dentists, opticians, accountants, solicitors and so on.

With our Overheads Insurance you can ensure that the operating expenses of your business will be covered, so you do not have to use your personal assets to meet business expenses if you are ill or have an accident.

You can cover the cost of rent, council tax, utility bills, equipment finance, wages and other routine overheads which will continue irrespective of your state of health.

Why do you need Absence Insurance?

GP partners - locum insurance can protect partnership profits if you or one of the other partners can't work due to illness or accident. Our Absence Insurance can cover you, even if you choose not to get a locum.

Salaried GPs - your contract will probably say that you are responsible for funding a locum in case of absence through illness or accident. Our Absence Insurance can meet the locum costs that are your responsibility.

The Statement of Financial Entitlements details the potential allowances paid by PCTs. In reality, funding constraints mean that many PCTs are unable to make any payment at all. The BMA General Practitioners Committee's Guidance for GPs dated June 2004 (revised February 2009) states:

'... practices should consider purchasing insurance for locum cover during sickness absence to cover all of their salaried GPs (and possibly other staff as well). This would ensure that a practice would not be out of pocket in the event that a salaried GP had to take sick leave.'

This means that, for most practices, absence insurance can be considered an essential.

Dentists with a UDA commitment need to consider the cost of locums. NHS practices should expect to pay a minimum of £350 a day to cover a typical contract of around 30 UDAs per day, plus 'per UDA' payments for additional UDAs, with locums for private practices frequently charging in excess of £400 a day, depending on the location.

In both NHS and private practice, your locum insurance needs can be met with Absense Insurance. Patient care can continue unaffected while practitioners are incapacitated through illness or accident.

No-one wants to turn patients away. Absence Insurance can fund the cost of a locum veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse to cover when the owner or a member of staff is ill or has an accident and can't work. Absence insurance tides the practice over at an otherwise difficult time.

With increasing competition it's important to be available and prolonged absence due to illness or accident can place increased workloads on remaining practitioners and result in appointments having to be cancelled. Your locum insurance needs can be met with Absence Insurance which can fund a replacement, taking away the financial strain at a difficult time.

If you run your own practice you can choose to buy absence insurance just for yourself or you can insure your staff and any self-employed practitioners as well. Attractive group discounts mean that it is often advantageous for practitioners to band together.

Why do you need Overheads Insurance?

A business or practice which relies on a small number of highly trained individuals - or even just one person - to produce revenue is economically vulnerable if one of those people is unable to work.

Overheads Insurance (otherwise known as practice or business expenses insurance) can ensure that your operating expenses will be covered, so you do not have to use your personal assets to meet business expenses if you fall ill or have an accident and can't work.

Overheads Insurance can cover the cost of rent, council tax, utility bills, equipment finance, wages and other routine practice overheads which will continue irrespective of your state of health.

You can choose a waiting period of as little as 2 weeks, up to 6 months; the longer the waiting period, the lower the premium.

Why personal accident and illness insurance for locums?

As a self-employed person you're vulnerable if you can't work. Whether you're working as a locum temporarily or as a longer-term career choice your income, and therefore your lifestyle, would be jeopardised by your ill-health.

This means that insurance against illness and accident is a vital part of your financial planning.

With Personal Accident and Illness insurance, from Practice Cover, you can insure up to 75% of your gross locum earnings. This means that if you are unable to work due to illness or accident, you will be paid 75% of your earnings for up to 2 years, or until you return to work, if sooner.

What a difference that could make to your life if you couldn't work!

When you take out the insurance you will be asked to select a deferment period, which can be as little as 7 days. This is the period during which no policy benefits would be paid so, if you chose a 7 day deferment period and you were ill and unable to work for only 5 days, the policy would not pay out. Selecting a longer deferment period reduces the cost of your cover.

Decide on the weekly benefit you need and call Practice Cover on 023 8051 3286 or 0800 028 5633 for a quote.

With a simple proposal form and no onerous formalities, you can start your cover today. It really is this simple.