As a company we're fortunate to have had countless wonderful reviews from our clients and we all know that nowadays reviews carry a lot of weight. I know, myself, when I want to buy something I take a few minutes to see what others think of the choice I've made.  If I read that a restaurant gives poor service or the food is below par I won't go.

At Practice Cover what do we do with all the wonderful locum insurance reviews we get?  We're rather reserved, non-pushy people. Although we put them on our website and we tweet them, we always assume the reviewer won't want his or her name plastered all over the Internet. We anonymise the reviews and, of course, without a name on them, the review has less value. Talk about selling ourselves short!

Now and again, when we're feeling brave, we ask the reviewer whether he or she would be happy for his name to appear. Even though people rarely say no, we don't make a habit of asking. Typical British reserve!

So last week, when we got a great review from a practice manager, we steeled ourselves and asked the question.

And here is what Mr Julian Smith of Harbourside Health Centre in Swansea said about us:

 "Great service, as always. Nothing too much trouble, even when required change to policy terms and conditions at short notice. Thank you."

Now we need to stop hiding our light under a bushel. It's good to get those names out there.

When you bought your locum insurance maybe what appealed to you was the option of 'continuity of cover'.

It's a safety net that many doctors want. It means the underwriters can’t withdraw or restrictyour cover if you make a claim, or if - as happens with a lot of us - your health gets worse as you grow older.

Unfortunately, we understand that a lot of doctors will hear this year that the continuation of cover promised by their provider isn’t going to deliver as promised. If you’re one of these doctors and have recently received a letter from your provider you could be forgiven for getting hot under the collar when they tell you they are scouting around for a new underwriter... and that (if they find one) your health will need to be underwritten from scratch. The fact is that even though YOU paid for the cover and YOU fulfilled all the policy conditions THEY'VE pulled the plug.

What will this mean for you?

It means you’re going back to square one. You will be re-underwritten and, if you’re lucky, you will be offered cover by the new underwriters on whatever basis they see fit. Whether that will include a version of continuation of cover remains to be seen.

If you stay with them, would you trust them not to pull the plug again? Are they a repeat offender? Is it the first time the provider has pulled cover or is it getting to be a habit?

We know it's difficult to assess who is going to be the right, long-term provider for you, but if you’re one of the doctors who’s been affected by this - or if you’re new to locum insurance and you’re looking for a provider you can trust - it’s time to look at Practice Cover.

Practice Cover offers more choice than any other provider:

• You can choose either annually renewable cover or continuity of cover
• No premium increases in over 6 years (even for clients who have claimed)
• No claims discount if you don’t need to claim
• We’ve never had to withdraw or restrict our clients' cover - ever.

To chat through your needs, or if you want a quotation, call us on 023 8051 3286.

We have happy clients and we aim to keep it that way. Become one of our happy clients.

The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice.

This week, Pulse reports that nearly 90% of practices struggle to find locums.  

If  your practice is one of those which can’t get their hands on a locum,  does that mean the good money you’ve spent on locum insurance has been wasted?

Not, if you’ve bought your locum insurance through Practice Cover.

With our insurance, you can make a claim when a doctor falls ill and the claim is not dependent on securing the services of a locum. So, whether you can’t get a locum or you simply choose not to, it has no effect on the claim you make.

Clearly, if no locum is available then someone is going to have to ramp up their sessions to cover for the absent doctor.  I wouldn’t want to suggest for a moment that throwing money at doctors to compensate them for working extra hours will solve all the problems caused when doctors go  off sick, but it can certainly make extra hours a lot more palatable.

For a quotation or for further information on locum insurance that works as you need it to work, call 023 8051 3286. 

The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice.

Our end of year figures show the percentage of clients who renew with us. In 2015, that number was 92%.

Is that good? We asked Lynda Cox, our principal:

"I’ve looked at other lines of insurance and a customer loyalty rate of 92% - in tandem with our strong new business growth - would be considered by many to be an exceptional performance.

From a customer relationship perspective ’churn’ is the rate of client attrition. Modern-thinking businesses look to nurture a long-term relationship with clients, minimising churn, and we are no exception. This makes us stand out in the locum insurance market. Locum insurance is our speciality - it is all that we do and we must continue getting it right.

So we have to be here for clients - now and into the future.

Although we feel that many of our competitors would be glad to be at our level, we are not content with 92% so we will continue to work to get the figure closer to 100%. In practice this will be virtually impossible to achieve as individuals retire or practices merge, but that is our target.

We will hope to build towards that using the qualities and benefits that have helped us grow consistently and strongly:

• We do not discriminate on age

• Our premium rates have not increased for in over 6 years – even if you’ve made a claim

• If you haven’t claimed you get a no claims discount

• We will not undercut premiums to a level that is simply not sustainable in the hope that we can put in a large increase next year

• We will not retrospectively underwrite clients

• We will respond quickly and honestly to queries from both new and existing customers

• We will continue to offer the most flexible locum insurance policy you can buy.

For GPs, dentists, allied health professionals and their Independent Financial Advisers our aim is to make our locum insurance the one you want now and into the future, so churn becomes a thing of the past."

The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice.

When illness strikes or an unforeseen emergency arises which makes one of your key people unable to work, your GP practice could really feel the pain. It can be expensive to fill the gap, or you may just have to suffer…



At a basic level a missing staff member can mean deferring patient appointments. Not only inconvenient for patients but potentially damaging to your reputation (and that means the dreaded Friends and Family Test) or, more likely, it means everyone else has to ramp up their hours.



To avoid this you’d need to find a way to cover the appointments – and that means cost. A group locum insurance policy may be the perfect solution.



Tailored locum insurance from Practice Cover allows you to cover all your key practice staff in one policy. Each individual can be covered for a different amount and deferment period depending on the impact their absence may have on the practice.

When the policy pays out it’s your choice on how to spend the money. So you could cover the cost of a locum, or use the financial sum to pay existing doctors to cover additional sessions. It's up to you.



This flexibility empowers you to choose how to manage the situation. It is, after all, your practice. And knowing that insurance is in place can help take the stress away from the individual at a time when they may need to recuperate.



So for a brighter, more secure future ensure all your doctors and key members of staff at the practice enjoy peace of mind using Practice Cover’s specialist group locum insurance. We will protect your personal and practice reputation as well as your bottom line.


The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice. Practice Cover is a trading name of Practice Cover Limited and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

When illness strikes or an unforeseen emergency arises which makes a key person unable to work, your dental practice could really feel the pain. It can be expensive to fill the gap, or you may just have to suffer…

Financially dentists can end up in more discomfort than their GP counterparts because of the way you’re funded. At a basic level a missing staff member means cancelled patient appointments. That means lost revenue as well as incurring the cost of a damaged reputation. To avoid this you’d need to find a way to cover the appointments, and that means cost.

A group locum insurance policy may be the perfect solution.

Tailored locum insurance from Practice Cover allows you to cover all your key practice staff in one policy. Each individual can be covered for a different amount and deferment period depending on the impact their absence may have on the practice. 

When the policy pays out it’s your choice on how to spend the money. So you could cover the cost of a locum, or use the financial sum to pay existing staff to cover additional hours – or save it to pay for overheads or bonuses.

This flexibility empowers you to choose how to manage the situation. It is after-all your practice. This can help take the stress away from the individual at a time when they may need to recuperate.

So for a brighter, more secure future ensure all your associates and key members of staff at the practice enjoy peace of mind using Practice Cover’s specialist locum insurance. We will protect your personal and practice reputation as well as your bottom line.

The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice. Practice Cover is a trading name of Practice Cover Limited and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority