How to Reduce Insurance Costs
as a Care Agency

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Practical ways to lower premiums without cutting corners on cover for your domiciliary or staffing agency.

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Helping care agencies control cost while keeping the right protection

  • Allianz
  • Aviva
  • QBE
  • RSA
  • Zurich
  • NIG

REDUCING INSURANCE COSTS WITHOUT INCREASING RISK

It’s Not Just About the Cheapest Quote

Insurance is one of your biggest fixed costs as a care agency – but simply buying the cheapest policy can leave you exposed when something goes wrong, or cause problems with CQC, commissioners and contract requirements.

The real goal is to reduce your risk and present your agency well to insurers, so that you can secure competitive premiums and sustainable terms, while still having the right protection behind your care.

Key Ways to Reduce Insurance Costs as a Care Agency

Focus on the levers that matter most to underwriters.

1. Get Your Basic Risk Profile in Order

  • Keep your CQC rating, inspection reports and action plans up to date and easy to share.
  • Have clear policies for medication, moving & handling, lone working and safeguarding.
  • Demonstrate regular staff training, refreshers and competency checks.
  • Evidence robust recruitment and DBS checks for carers and managers.
  • Show incident and complaint trends, not just isolated events.

2. Match Cover and Limits to What You Actually Do

  • Make sure activities and client groups on the policy accurately reflect your service.
  • Avoid paying for covers you don’t need (or missing ones you do).
  • Set realistic liability limits based on contracts and commissioner requirements.
  • Consider policy excesses that you can comfortably afford to self-insure.
  • Review optional add-ons to ensure they genuinely add value for your risk profile.
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Risk & Claims Management that Drives Premiums Down

Reducing incidents and handling them well is one of the biggest long-term cost controls.

3. Reduce the Frequency and Severity of Claims

  • Focus on high-claim areas: slips/trips, medication, moving & handling, vehicle use.
  • Introduce simple checklists and prompts for common risk points.
  • Use “near-miss” reports to fix issues before they become claims.
  • Make sure staff know how and when to escalate concerns quickly.
  • Work closely with your broker after claims to show learning and change.

4. Present a Strong Story Around Any Past Incidents

  • Explain context: what happened, why, and what you’ve done since.
  • Share updated policies, training and risk assessments with your broker.
  • Show how trends have improved (fewer incidents, lower severity).
  • Evidence learning with minutes from governance meetings and audits.
  • Be open about challenges – hiding issues usually leads to worse outcomes later.
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What Insurers Look for in a Care Agency

Understanding this helps you present your agency in the best light and negotiate better terms.

5. Governance, Culture & Leadership

  • Stable leadership team with clear roles and responsibilities.
  • Strong Registered Manager and well-supported Nominated Individual.
  • Regular governance meetings reviewing risk, incidents and quality.
  • Evidence of acting quickly on CQC or commissioner feedback.
  • Positive culture where staff feel able to report concerns early.

6. Clean, Accurate Proposal Information

  • Accurate turnover, wage roll and service user numbers.
  • Clear breakdown of services (domiciliary, live-in, complex care, staffing, etc.).
  • Full disclosure of previous claims and incidents – with explanations.
  • Up-to-date CQC registration details and ratings.
  • No last-minute surprises – early engagement before renewal dates.
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Working with Insure24 to Control Care Agency Insurance Costs

Not just finding a cheap premium – building a sustainable, defensible programme.

7. Smarter Programme Design, Not Just Price Shopping

  • Designing cover around your specific care model and contracts.
  • Avoiding duplicated or overlapping covers across different policies.
  • Looking at multi-year strategies, not just this year’s premium.
  • Structuring excesses and aggregate limits to suit your risk appetite.
  • Helping you decide what to insure and what to manage operationally.

8. Renewal Planning & Market Negotiation

  • Starting renewal discussions early – typically 3–4 months before expiry.
  • Preparing a strong submission pack for underwriters.
  • Approaching the right insurers with appetite for care risks.
  • Negotiating on both price and terms, not just headline cost.
  • Explaining insurer questions in plain English so you can respond clearly.
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We used to just renew our policy on price. Insure24 helped us tidy up our risk information, present our CQC position properly and restructure our cover. We’ve reduced our premiums over time without cutting corners on protection.

Owner, Domiciliary Care & Staffing Agency

LOWER YOUR PREMIUMS BY IMPROVING RISK,
NOT JUST CHASING THE CHEAPEST QUOTE

WHY CARE AGENCIES USE INSURE24 TO REDUCE COSTS SENSIBLY

  • Specialist focus on domiciliary, live-in and care staffing risks.
  • Ability to explain your service to underwriters in the right language.
  • Joined-up thinking across liability, malpractice, cyber and management covers.
  • Support building a multi-year strategy to stabilise and reduce premiums.
  • Plain-English advice for owners, managers and finance teams.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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What is the biggest driver of insurance cost for a care agency?

The main drivers are your claims history, the type and complexity of care you provide, your governance and CQC position, and how accurately your activities are described on the policy. Presenting a strong, well-governed risk to the market is often more important than simply shopping around each year.

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Does increasing our excess always reduce our premium?

Increasing your excess can reduce premiums, but only to a point. You need to be confident you can afford to pay the excess when a claim arises, and it should be part of a wider cost/benefit discussion – not the only lever you pull. We can illustrate different options for you at quotation stage.

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Will switching insurer every year save us money?

Sometimes a change of insurer is the right move, but constant switching can create uncertainty and may undermine relationships with underwriters. A better approach is to build a clear, multi-year story and use competition between insurers strategically, rather than automatically moving every year.

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Can we reduce premium by cutting cover or lowering our limits?

You can lower costs by reducing limits or removing covers, but this must be done carefully. Many commissioners and contracts specify minimum cover, and under-insuring can create serious problems if you have a major claim. We help you explore options safely and ensure you remain compliant.

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How does our CQC rating affect our insurance cost?

Insurers look at your CQC rating and inspection history as part of their view of governance and quality. A “Good” or “Outstanding” rating, with clear evidence of learning and improvement, usually helps. Where ratings are lower, we focus on your improvement plan and the changes you have already made.

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Does using a broker cost more than going direct to insurers?

A specialist broker can often access markets and negotiate terms that are not available direct. The aim is to add value through better programme design, claims support and market access – usually leading to better value overall than a purely direct, price-only approach.

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Can investing in training and systems really lower premiums?

Over time, yes. Better training, safer equipment and improved systems tend to reduce the number and size of claims. When insurers can see this reflected in your incident history and governance, it helps when negotiating future renewals.

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What information should we prepare before renewal to help reduce costs?

It helps to have: updated turnover and wage figures, a breakdown of services and client groups, current CQC reports, an incident and claims summary, any major changes during the year, and details of new contracts or projects. We can provide a simple checklist for this.

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How quickly can you review our current insurance and costs?

Timescales depend on the complexity of your agency and when your policy renews, but the earlier you involve us, the more options we have. As a guide, we recommend starting the process 8–12 weeks before renewal wherever possible.

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How do we get started with a cost-reduction review?

Simply contact Insure24 with an outline of your agency, your current policy and renewal date. We’ll review your existing cover, highlight quick wins and work with you on a longer-term plan to control costs without exposing your service or breaching contract requirements.

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