Are Locums Insured? A Dental Practice Guide

A clinician calls in sick shortly before a full day of patients. You need safe cover quickly, but one question cannot be left until the locum arrives: are locums insured? In dental practice, the answer is not simply yes or no. Appropriate cover depends on the clinician’s role, their working arrangements, the duties they will carry out and the insurance held by each party involved.

For practice owners and managers, confirming insurance is part of safe workforce planning. It protects patients, supports clinical continuity and avoids making assumptions during an already pressured situation. For locums, clear and current cover is a professional responsibility that helps them work with confidence in every practice.

Are locums insured when they work in a dental practice?

Most dental locums should hold their own professional indemnity or insurance arrangements suitable for the clinical work they perform. This is particularly relevant for locum dentists, hygienists, therapists and dental nurses whose actions, advice or omissions could lead to a complaint or claim.

However, a locum’s individual indemnity is not the whole picture. A practice may also have responsibilities under its own insurance policies, including public liability and, where relevant, employer’s liability insurance. An agency may hold its own business insurance too, but this does not automatically replace a clinician’s need for appropriate professional indemnity.

The key point is that insurance is not one policy covering every eventuality. It is a set of arrangements that should work together, with no uncertainty over who is covered for what. The exact position can vary according to the facts of a placement, so practices should review their own policy wording and seek specialist insurance or legal advice where required.

Professional indemnity: the central check for clinical locums

Professional indemnity is designed to respond to allegations arising from a clinician’s professional work. In dentistry, this might include concerns about treatment decisions, record keeping, clinical advice, consent, infection prevention procedures or a failure to act when appropriate.

GDC-registered professionals must have appropriate indemnity or insurance arrangements in place for the work they undertake. A practice should therefore be satisfied that a locum’s cover is current, valid in the UK and appropriate for their scope of practice. The level and type of cover needed can differ between a dental nurse working within their usual duties and a dentist providing a broader range of treatments.

It is sensible to ask whether the clinician has told their indemnity provider about their locum work and whether any restrictions apply. For example, some arrangements may be limited by location, procedures, supervision requirements or the type of dental setting. A clinician who is properly insured for one role should not assume that this automatically extends to every additional duty they agree to take on.

Practices should also make sure the locum will only be asked to perform duties they are trained, competent and authorised to carry out. Insurance should never be treated as permission to work beyond scope.

Why a practice cannot rely on the locum’s indemnity alone

A patient complaint or claim can involve more than one party. Even where a locum has individual indemnity, a practice may still face questions about its systems, premises, equipment, protocols, staffing levels, records, supervision or the information provided to the clinician.

For instance, a locum may work appropriately, but a claim could arise from a faulty piece of equipment, unavailable patient information or a breakdown in the practice’s decontamination process. These are operational risks that sit with the practice, not simply with the temporary clinician.

There may also be situations where a patient alleges that the practice is responsible for the actions of someone working under its direction or within its service. The legal position depends on the specific working relationship and cannot be determined by calling somebody self-employed in a booking confirmation. That is why the practice’s own professional, public and business liability arrangements remain essential.

Employer’s liability and employment status

Employer’s liability insurance generally covers claims by employees who suffer injury or illness in connection with their work. Many locums are engaged as self-employed contractors rather than employees, but employment status is not always straightforward. It is shaped by the reality of the arrangement, including control, personal service, mutual obligations and how the work is carried out.

A practice should not assume that employer’s liability insurance will cover a self-employed locum, nor assume that it will not be relevant simply because the individual invoices for their work. Review the policy terms with your insurer or broker, especially if you regularly use temporary clinical staff or have a mixed workforce of employed and self-employed workers.

This matters beyond insurance. Clear agreements about responsibilities, working hours, payment, cancellation and clinical governance reduce uncertainty for both the practice and the locum. They also support a more professional working relationship when urgent cover is needed.

Public liability and the practice environment

Public liability insurance is different from professional indemnity. It usually relates to injury or property damage caused in connection with business activities, rather than a concern about clinical judgement or treatment.

In a dental setting, this can include risks connected to the premises and the patient journey. A wet floor, an unsafe waiting area or damage to a patient’s belongings are examples of matters that may fall outside a clinician’s professional indemnity arrangements. The practice should maintain suitable cover for its environment, while locums should understand what their own insurance does and does not include.

What to check before a locum starts

A reliable booking process should include insurance checks alongside identity, right to work, GDC registration, references, DBS status where required and role-specific compliance documents. Insurance evidence should be current rather than treated as a one-off check made months or years earlier.

Before confirming cover, ask these practical questions:

• Does the locum hold current professional indemnity or insurance appropriate to their role and proposed duties?

• Are there any exclusions, limitations or conditions that could affect this placement?

• Does the practice’s own insurance recognise the use of locum and self-employed clinical staff?

• Who is responsible for checking equipment, emergency procedures, infection prevention protocols and patient records before the session begins?

• Is there a clear written record of the booking, duties, rates, hours and relevant clinical arrangements?

Keep a secure record of the checks completed, the date evidence was reviewed and any discussions that affected the scope of the booking. This makes it easier to demonstrate a consistent compliance process, particularly when a practice uses regular bank staff or responds to frequent short-notice absences.

The role of a specialist dental staffing agency

A specialist dental agency can make the process faster without lowering standards. The right agency understands that a clinician’s availability is only one part of a safe placement. Current registration, qualifications, compliance records and relevant insurance evidence all need to be considered before a candidate is put forward.

At Peace of Mind Dental Staffing, our approach is built around fully vetted, GDC-registered professionals and fast, reliable 24/7 cover for practices that cannot afford disruption to patient care. We can help reduce the administrative pressure of urgent recruitment, while the practice retains responsibility for its own site-specific induction, local policies and insurance arrangements.

This distinction matters. An agency can support due diligence and provide clear information, but it cannot know your individual policy wording, your premises risks or the exact clinical circumstances of every patient appointment. A short induction at the start of a shift remains essential, even for an experienced locum.

Guidance for locum dental professionals

Locums should keep their indemnity arrangements under review as their work changes. Taking shifts across NHS, mixed and private settings, adding new procedures or accepting greater responsibility can affect the cover required. If there is any doubt, contact your insurer or indemnity provider before accepting the work.

It is also good practice to retain copies of your current documentation and make them available promptly when requested. A well-organised locum is easier for a practice to book, especially where a sudden absence threatens a full clinic list.

On arrival, ask about local procedures, emergency arrangements, equipment, software access, safeguarding contacts and referral pathways. Being insured is essential, but safe care also depends on understanding the environment in which you are working.

When insurance checks are handled early and clearly, a last-minute staffing gap becomes far more manageable. The aim is not paperwork for its own sake, but the confidence that every clinician can step into the surgery ready to support safe, continuous patient care.