Physiotherapy insurance

Specialist cover for physiotherapists from £5 a month*

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Physiotherapy insurance should be a key consideration for any practising physiotherapist. If you are a member of a professional body, you may be required to hold certain types of cover.

However, whether you are required to or not, it’s worthwhile ensuring that you are protected against the potential risks facing those in the field of physiotherapy.

Insurance for physiotherapists is not a single product but a group of covers - including public liability and professional indemnity insurance for physiotherapists – that you can add and remove to suit the needs of your practice.

Why do physiotherapists need insurance?

Regardless of how long you have worked as a physiotherapist, accidents can happen. An allegation that a treatment has caused further injury, a client hurting themselves after tripping over an exercise aid, or damage caused to a costly therapy table could cause significant disruption to your business.

Specialist physiotherapy insurance from Markel Direct provides  wide ranging cover against these risks and many more. If you're a member of an association like The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) or The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC), you can tailor your insurance to meet the requirements of your institute or association.

What does insurance for physiotherapists cover?

Physiotherapists insurance can cover you against a range of risks specific to your business. This can include:

If you provide therapy to clients virtually, for example through Zoom or Skype, our physiotherapy insurance policy automatically provides cover. With this, your sessions must be done on a live basis and to your client (or clients, if part of a group session) only.

Professional indemnity insurance for physiotherapists

Sometimes clients aren’t fully satisfied with their treatment. They may feel they have been given bad advice that has made their injury worse, or their treatment has not had the desired results and they want to recoup their loss. Whether they are justified or not, you may find yourself facing a lawsuit.

Professional indemnity insurance - also known as professional malpractice insurance - offers comprehensive protection against the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you. As a practising physiotherapist, you should consider obtaining professional indemnity cover to protect your business against such claims. Get a quote now in under 90 seconds.

There are potential risks associated for practicing physiotherapists, from unhappy clients, equipment damage to cyber-attacks. It’s worthwhile considering obtaining the correct level of insurance, to act as a safety net. Physiotherapy insurance from Markel Direct is built around your needs, so will have the types and level of cover to protect your business should something go wrong.

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Which insurance cover do physiotherapists need?

  • Public liability insurance

    Public liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business. For example, a client alleges they were unable to walk for several weeks after their foot was damaged during a session and they are seeking compensation for their injury. Public liability insurance is vital for all physiotherapists that come into physical contact with their clients. Limits are available from £1m to £5m.

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Cyber and data risks insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber-attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. As a physiotherapist, you may hold confidential information about your clients on computers and other internet connected devices, such as the therapies and treatments you provide to them, if so, you should consider adding this cover.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance pays your legal costs and expenses for contract disputes, tax enquiries (including IR35), attending jury service, debt recovery, personal injury, as well as any award you are required to pay following an employment dispute with an employee. There is a limit of £100,000.

  • Occupational personal accident

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period). due to an accident at work, or when travelling to and from work. In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. If you were unable to treat your physiotherapy clients following an occupational accident, would you struggle to maintain an income? If yes, you should consider including this cover to your physiotherapist insurance policy.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    Directors and officers insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Portable equipment and office insurance

    Portable equipment insurance covers laptops, mobile phones, and portable equipment you use for treatment against accidental damage (including theft) anywhere in the world. If you have business premises, office insurance covers your office buildings, contents and computer equipment against accidental damage (including theft) whilst on your premises.

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Frequently asked questions

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • Why should I choose Markel’s insurance?

    Markel has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

  • Am I covered to treat clients with terminal illnesses (such as cancer)?

    Yes. Our insurance for physiotherapists policy provides cover for treating clients with terminal illnesses.

  • Am I covered to treat pregnant clients?

    Yes. Our physiotherapy insurance policy provides cover for treating pregnant clients.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of physiotherapist insurance cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

Access specialist services for your physiotherapy business

In addition to comprehensive cover for your physiotherapy business, insuring with Markel means you enjoy access to useful services at no additional cost (when the relevant section of cover is purchased).

24 hour legal helpline  24 hour legal advice helpline

When you insure with Markel, you'll benefit from 24/7 telephone access to a qualified solicitor at no additional cost. Expert legal advice can be costly when you're working for yourself and it's difficult to know who to turn to for a trustworthy answer. Whether it's a question on health and safety, employment law, legal structures for your business or how to handle a difficult client, an experienced team of solicitors are on hand day and night to help you with any business-related legal queries. Included as standard with all policies.

Legal hub access Markel Business Hub access

In addition to our 24 hour legal helpline, you'll have access to the Markel Business Hub - an award winning online resource of legal and business guides, templates and content written and created by our team of expert solicitors. Instantly download ready-made contracts, policies, procedures and guidance you can use for your business - without paying any expensive legal fees. Included as standard with all policies.

  Fee dispute service

As every self-employed therapist knows, customers don't always pay on time and chasing unpaid fees/invoices costs time and money. Mindful of the impact this has on your business, we offer our policyholders access to a unique fee dispute helpline operated by one of the UK's leading law firms, who will provide specialist legal guidance and support on fee dispute issues. Included as standard with public liability and professional indemnity insurance. 

  Public relations crisis management service

In today's 24 hour news culture, public relations disasters can occur at any time. Having to deal with the press whilst managing a difficult situation can be hugely stressful as well as being a potential minefield. When there is a risk to your business as a result of negative press attention, our specialist public relations crisis management firm, The Counsel House, will work with you to help manage allegations of fraud, injury caused to employees or the public, and official investigations into your company's affairs. Included as standard with public liability and professional indemnity insurance, directors and officers insurance, cyber and data risks insurance and legal representation and employment disputes insurance.

Cyber response helpline

If you're the victim of a targeted cyber attack, our cyber response helpline provides access to specialist solicitors and information security experts who will give expert legal and technical IT security guidance on the issues arising from cyber and data protection risks. Included as standard with cyber and data risks insurance.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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