The U.K. Society of Radiographers (SoR) is requesting that the National Health Service (NHS) clarifies who is at risk under indemnity insurance when outsourced temporary staff members are involved with a malpractice or negligence complaint.
The SoR wants NHS managers to put pressure on the government to tighten the conditions in the NHS Resolution to ensure patients are fully protected and require any contract with an agency include a written working agreement that clarifies who acts as the employer for professional indemnity cover.
Currently, employers must offer professional indemnity cover to their employees. If something goes wrong that results in a claim for medical malpractice or negligence, the primary liability rests with the employer. It can be unclear who the employer is when responsibility is outsourced to an agency, according to a press release issued by SoR on 18 July.