Medical Malpractice Insurance for Domiciliary Care

CALL FOR EXPERT ADVICE
GET A QUOTE NOW

Specialist medical malpractice cover for domiciliary care agencies, home care providers and visiting care professionals facing risks from treatment errors, medication mistakes and professional negligence in clients’ homes.

CALL FOR EXPERT ADVICE
GET A QUOTE NOW

We compare quotes from leading care sector insurers

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

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE COVER FOR DOMICILIARY & HOME CARE PROVIDERS

Turn malpractice risk into a managed, insurable exposure

Providing care in clients’ homes is rewarding but high risk. Insurers, regulators and commissioners expect robust clinical governance, clear procedures and appropriate medical malpractice cover. Insure24 helps domiciliary care providers understand where malpractice risk sits, what insurers look for and how to structure cover that supports your CQC obligations and contracts.

Why medical malpractice insurance matters for domiciliary care

Domiciliary care teams work in varied, often unpredictable environments – clients’ homes, supported living settings and community locations. Decisions are made quickly and often alone. When something goes wrong, allegations can escalate quickly into claims of negligence or professional error against both organisations and individual carers.

  • Clinical decision risk: Judgement calls on when to escalate, seek medical help or change care can be challenged later.
  • Medication risk: Dosing errors, missed medications or administration outside protocol can lead to serious harm.
  • Documentation risk: Poor or incomplete notes make defending care decisions much harder.
  • Safeguarding & family complaints: Disagreements about what happened can quickly turn into formal allegations.
  • Regulatory & commissioning pressure: CQC, local authorities and NHS commissioners expect robust liability protection.
  • Reputation & confidence: A single high-profile incident can damage your service’s reputation and staff morale.

Medical malpractice cover is not a “nice to have” add-on – it is a core part of professional protection for modern home care services, alongside public liability, employers’ liability and management liability.

CALL FOR MALPRACTICE ADVICE
GET A QUOTE NOW

What medical malpractice insurance covers in domiciliary care

Exact cover varies by insurer, but the key principle is simple: it responds when a client alleges that your professional care has caused them harm. That might be a specific error, an omission, or a pattern of poor care.

Typically covered events

  • Negligent treatment or clinical decisions by staff or contractors.
  • Medication errors – wrong dose, timing, route or failure to administer.
  • Failure to follow agreed care plans or clinical protocols.
  • Delayed referral or escalation to medical professionals.
  • Errors in monitoring, observations or record keeping.
  • Breach of professional duty in rehabilitation or reablement.

Key limits & considerations

  • Policy limits per claim and in the aggregate across the policy year.
  • Retroactive dates – whether past work is covered.
  • Claims-made vs. occurrence-based wording.
  • Coverage for self-employed carers and bank staff.
  • Contractual requirements from local authorities and NHS partners.
  • Integration with public & employers’ liability and management liability.
DISCUSS YOUR COVER LIMITS
GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE

Who needs medical malpractice insurance in domiciliary care?

If you or your team provide any form of hands-on care, clinical intervention, medication support or assessment in the community, you are likely to have a malpractice exposure.

Organisations & services

  • CQC-registered domiciliary care agencies.
  • Live-in care providers.
  • Complex care and continuing healthcare providers.
  • Reablement and rehabilitation teams.
  • Supported living and outreach services.
  • Charities and not-for-profit home care services.

Individuals & professionals

  • Self-employed domiciliary carers and PAs.
  • Registered nurses providing care in the community.
  • Healthcare assistants and senior carers.
  • Allied health professionals working in clients’ homes (e.g. physios, OTs – subject to insurer approval).
  • Directly employed staff where the employer needs vicarious liability cover.
SPEAK TO A CARE INSURANCE SPECIALIST
GET A QUOTE NOW

Typical medical malpractice risk scenarios in home care

These are the kinds of scenarios that often lead to claims or serious complaints – and where a well-designed malpractice policy can respond.

Client-facing risks

  • Medication given incorrectly, leading to hospital admission.
  • Failure to recognise deterioration or sepsis warning signs in time.
  • Poor catheter care resulting in infection or complications.
  • Injury caused while assisting with transfers or mobility.
  • Skin breakdown where repositioning or pressure care was inadequate.

Service & governance risks

  • Care plans not updated after changes in condition or medication.
  • Staff working beyond their training or competency.
  • Inconsistent record keeping undermining your defence.
  • Communication failures between office, family and front-line staff.
  • Allegations of neglect when visits were delayed or shortened.
DISCUSS YOUR RISK SCENARIOS
GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE

How Insure24 supports domiciliary care providers

We are not your clinical governance lead – but we do understand what care sector underwriters, commissioners and regulators expect to see. Our role is to help you secure cover that fits your real-world risk.

Sector-aware broking

  • Experience placing insurance for domiciliary and social care providers across the UK.
  • Understanding of CQC expectations and local authority frameworks.
  • Ability to present your governance and training in underwriter-friendly language.
  • Support with questions around delegated healthcare tasks and complex care.
  • Placement of malpractice alongside public liability, EL and other core covers.

Ongoing support & claims guidance

  • Help preparing for insurer surveys and risk improvement requirements.
  • Guidance on what information to keep ready in case of a claim.
  • Support in the event of serious incidents or allegations of negligence.
  • Regular reviews as your service grows or takes on more complex packages.
  • Clear explanations of policy conditions and notification requirements.
SPEAK TO A CARE INSURANCE SPECIALIST
GET A QUOTE NOW

Risk management best practice for domiciliary care malpractice

High-intent visitors looking for malpractice cover often also want to know what they can do internally to reduce the chance of a claim. Insurers also look favourably on strong clinical governance.

Clinical governance & training

  • Clear policies for medication, escalation and incident reporting.
  • Role-specific training and competency assessments for staff.
  • Regular supervision and spot checks on high-risk care tasks.
  • Structured audits of care plans, MAR charts and records.
  • Learning from incidents and near misses, with documented actions.

Operational & documentation controls

  • Accurate, contemporaneous record keeping for each visit.
  • Robust systems for communicating changes in condition or medication.
  • Clear boundaries for what carers can and cannot do clinically.
  • Confirmation of instructions received from families and professionals.
  • Up-to-date risk assessments for clients with complex needs.
DISCUSS RISK MANAGEMENT
GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE

What we’ll ask when quoting for malpractice cover

To place the right cover at the right price, underwriters need a clear, structured picture of your domiciliary care service. We’ll keep the process straightforward, but you can prepare by gathering the following information.

Your service & client profile

  • Number of clients and average weekly visit volumes.
  • Mix of needs – personal care, complex care, palliative, learning disability, mental health, etc.
  • Any delegated healthcare tasks (e.g. PEG feeds, insulin, catheter care) and who authorises them.
  • Geographical areas covered and typical visit durations.
  • Use of self-employed carers, bank staff or agency workers.

Governance, incidents & existing cover

  • Details of your CQC registration and latest inspection outcome (where applicable).
  • Copies or summaries of key clinical policies (medication, escalation, incident reporting).
  • Any previous or outstanding claims, complaints or safeguarding investigations.
  • Existing liability and malpractice arrangements, including limits and retroactive dates.
  • Any specific contract requirements from commissioners or framework agreements.
CALL FOR EXPERT ADVICE
START YOUR QUOTE
Quote icon

Having the right malpractice cover in place gave our domiciliary care service real peace of mind. Insure24 helped us present our governance clearly and secure terms that satisfied both our commissioners and our board.

Registered Manager, Domiciliary Care Provider

UNIQUE INSURANCE
TAILORED FOR DOMICILIARY CARE MALPRACTICE RISK 

DESIGNED AROUND REAL-WORLD HOME CARE

  • Protection for professional negligence and treatment errors.
  • Support for regulatory and contractual expectations.
  • Cover that grows with your service and complexity of care.
  • Placement with insurers experienced in the care sector.
  • Integrated approach with your wider liability programme.
CALL FOR EXPERT ADVICE
GET A QUOTE NOW

Compliance, CQC expectations & documentation

High-intent visitors are often registered managers or owners trying to balance insurance, CQC standards and commissioner demands. We can help align your malpractice cover with those expectations.

  • Guidance on what underwriters typically ask domiciliary providers.
  • Input on how to describe your governance and training in proposal forms.
  • Support with risk improvement actions requested by insurers or surveyors.
  • Help preparing simple insurance summaries for commissioners and frameworks.
  • Advice on storing policies, incident logs and training records for easy retrieval.
CALL FOR GUIDANCE
GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – MEDICAL MALPRACTICE FOR DOMICILIARY CARE

+-

Do home care providers need medical malpractice insurance as well as public liability?

Yes. Public liability responds to general accidents – for example a visitor tripping over equipment. Medical malpractice responds when a client alleges that your professional care, treatment or clinical decision has caused them harm. Most domiciliary care providers need both.

+-

Are medication errors covered by malpractice insurance?

Medication support is a common source of allegations. Subject to policy terms, malpractice insurance can cover claims arising from incorrect dosing, missed doses, wrong medication or failure to follow agreed medication procedures, where these cause harm to the client.

+-

Does the policy protect individual carers as well as the organisation?

Policies can be structured to protect the legal entity (your company or care organisation) as well as employees, and in some cases named self-employed carers, for work carried out on your behalf. We will discuss your staffing model and ensure the wording reflects it.

+-

How does claims-made cover work in practice?

Malpractice wordings are often written on a “claims-made” basis, meaning the policy in force when the claim is made (not when the incident occurred) responds, subject to the retroactive date. We can explain how this works, including what happens if you switch insurers or need run-off cover.

+-

Will this satisfy commissioners and framework requirements?

Many local authority and NHS contracts specify minimum limits and types of cover. We will review any tender or framework requirements you have and aim to place insurance that satisfies those obligations, with clear documentation you can share with commissioners.

+-

What information will insurers ask for when we apply?

Insurers typically ask about your client group, types of care provided, staff training and supervision, medication procedures, incident history and any previous or outstanding claims. We will guide you through exactly what is needed and how best to present it.

+-

Can self-employed carers rely on the agency’s malpractice cover?

It depends on the wording. Some policies extend cover to named self-employed staff working under your control; others do not. We will clarify exactly who is covered and, where necessary, discuss options for separate individual protection.

+-

How does malpractice insurance interact with professional registrations?

Professional bodies and regulators may require appropriate indemnity to be in place as a condition of registration. We can help you arrange cover and provide evidence suitable for nurses, certain allied health professionals and CQC-registered providers, in line with regulatory expectations.

+-

What happens if we change insurer or restructure the service?

With claims-made policies, changes of insurer or structure need careful planning to avoid gaps in cover. We will explain options such as maintaining retroactive dates or buying run-off cover, so that past work remains protected even after changes.

+-

How do we get a medical malpractice quote for our domiciliary care service?

Call Insure24 on 0330 127 2333 or complete our online enquiry form. We will ask a few key questions about your service, client profile and governance, then approach suitable insurers on your behalf and guide you through the options.

Related Blogs