How does RCPharm PLI work?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance

Comprehensive pharmacy insurance

Frequently Asked Questions about RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance

What is RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is an exclusive insurance policy for pharmacists.

It provides appropriate cover for your professional liabilities, access to expert legal advice , and peace of mind to deliver outstanding care for patients.

RCPharm has worked with Aon, one of the world’s leading insurance brokers*, to give you the cover you need to deliver first-class care at an affordable price.

*Aon Plc is ranked 2nd insurance broker globally based on 2024 total revenue by Best’s Review 2025.

Who can get RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is available to:

• RCPharm members – with clear exceptions (see below)
• Across all pharmacy sectors
• Pharmacists practising in Great Britain
  

The following membership categories are not currently eligible for RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance:

• Retired members no longer practising
• Overseas members and those working in Northern Ireland (RCPharm PLI is only available in Great Britain)
• Pharmaceutical Scientists
• Undergraduate students

What am I covered for?

ALL members, including: – Employed – Self-employed – Foundation Trainees	Legal defence and representation coverage for: – GPhC Statutory Committee Proceedings – Coroner’s Inquest or Fatal Accident Inquiry – Criminal Prosecution and Civil Proceedings – Contract Dispute – Product Liability
EMPLOYED members, including: – Employed – Foundation Trainees	Contingent Professional Liability Cover* (i.e. legal defence coverage and damages for): – Professional Liability claims that are not covered by another insurance policy (e.g. an employer’s) This is the only element of cover that is contingent.
SELF-EMPLOYED members	Professional Liability and other liability coverages (i.e. legal defence coverage and damages for): – Professional Liability – Expert/Medico-Legal Opinions – Data Liability Claims – Public Liability – Indemnity to Principal

*What is contingent liability cover?

Contingent liability cover handles a claim when your employer’s insurance does not respond i.e. it is back up protection for legal defence costs and damages.

If you are employed then you should reasonably be able to rely on your employer’s insurance to protect you, however, your employer’s policy may not provide you with any cover for regulatory matters. Should you be involved in a case that is being handled by your employer, and you are referred to the regulator then the Professional Liability Insurance policy would support you (this element of the policy is not contingent).

The Employed member claims element of the cover is the only part of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance that is underwritten on a contingent basis. Cover for regulatory claims  under RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is not linked to your employer’s insurance. RCPharm believes that this type of insurance is sufficient for our employed members, and has commissioned an article about the legal developments of this cover in recent years which explains why this type of cover is appropriate.

For further information about contingent liability, please see our FAQs , and case studies below.

Please note, no element of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is contingent for Self-Employed members.

Each member has a £10,000,000 limit of indemnity**.

** Sub limits apply – please refer to the policy wording for further details.

Do you work in either of these roles?

• Qualified Person – working in Quality Assurance in the pharmaceutical industry or NHS. If so, your insurance policy cost will be £261 (NOT including your RCPharm membership fee).
• Aesthetic Pharmacist – prescribing or injecting Botox or dermal fillers. If so, your insurance policy cost will be £261 (NOT including your RCPharm membership fee). If you do any other aesthetic procedures outside of prescribing and/or administering Botox and fillers, you will need to seek specialist insurance. For more information, click here.

What am I not covered for with RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance provides very broad coverage and is designed to provide appropriate indemnity for ALL activities within the normal scope of your pharmacy practice.

However, there are some things not covered by RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, such as:

• Wilful maltreatment of patients
• Euthanasia
• The transmission of communicable diseases
• Work undertaken whilst under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics

For a full breakdown of what is not covered, please request a copy of the policy document from Aon by calling 01162 807 260. 

How much does RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance cost?

As part of our mission to support pharmacists, RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is being offered to our members at the price we pay for it — RCPharm are not making any profit from offering this benefit to members.

For more details, visit our Fees page.

How does RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance work?

If you have taken out membership which includes RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, then your policy is valid for the term of your membership with RCPharm. Aon will provide all information and documentation applicable to your policy within two weeks of becoming / renewing as an RCPharm member.

Depending on whether you previously held continuous claims-made indemnity elsewhere before moving to RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, you may be eligible for retroactive cover for unknown and unreported matters that happened up to three years prior to the start of this cover.

Once approved, the cover is effective from the moment you include the benefit in your membership. If you need to submit a claim before you receive your policy documents from Aon, then please call them on 01162 807 260. 

How do I get RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

Already an RCPharm member?

There are two ways to add RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance to your membership today.

1. Simply fill in this form.
2. Email or call our RCPharm membership team
   • Email: [email protected]
   • Phone: 0207 572 2737

Not ready to add this to your membership today?

No problem, just follow the steps above at a time that works for you. Or, if you would like to wait until your current insurance expires, let us know when that will be by filling in this form and we will contact you closer to the time.

Not currently an RCPharm member?

Apply to become a member below and provide a few details about your professional practice. RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will be included as standard in your membership.

Does RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance (PLI) cover claims made in Scotland?

Yes. RCPharm PLI covers pharmacists practising in Scotland, and it applies to claims relating to incidents involving patients in Scotland – just as it does patients across Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

The only technical difference is jurisdiction – the policy states that any claims must be brought in the courts of England and Wales. This does not prevent a claim arising from an incident in Scotland from being covered – it simply means the legal proceedings are handled under the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

In practice, this is straightforward for patients:

• A claim relating to treatment in Scotland is covered under the RCPharm PLI policy. 
• The patient will usually instruct a Scottish law firm, which then works with a firm in England or Wales to issue proceedings, if needed. This is standard practice.
• Very few cases reach trial; most are resolved before that stage.

The compensation framework in Scotland is generally less generous than in England and Wales, so bringing proceedings under the jurisdiction of England and Wales is often more favourable to claimants, not less.

Who is providing RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance cover?

RCPharm have partnered with leading insurance broker Aon* to arrange RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, and our policies are underwritten and insured by healthcare specialists.

Aon operate globally and their healthcare team (who worked with us on RCPharm Professional Indemnity Insurance) has considerable experience in arranging insurance for the healthcare sector.

More information about Aon UK.

*Aon Plc is ranked 2nd insurance broker globally based on 2024 total revenue by Best’s Review 2025.

Are there different levels of cover available?

Because RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance provides comprehensive cover for all eligible RCPharm members, we do not offer any bespoke moderations to the policy (e.g., different levels of excess).

Different career stages and professional circumstances pose differing levels of risk and liability, so the price of your RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will vary depending on whether you are a Foundation Trainee, Employed, or Self-Employed pharmacist.

Click here to review examples of the specific coverage required for different roles.

How do I opt out of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

We recognise that some RCPharm members may have other insurance arrangements in place or generally do not require RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance. Therefore, you can opt out of the policy if you prefer (your membership fee will be adjusted accordingly).

I’m a Direct Debit payer how do I opt out?

If you are eligible for RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance and you currently pay by Direct Debit but do not want it to be automatically added on to your membership, you can opt out here. Please head to the ‘Insurance Details’ tab and you can opt to ‘Exclude insurance from membership’ and ‘update’ details.

I don’t pay by Direct Debit – how do I opt out?

If you are eligible for RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, do not have an active Direct Debit and do not want to include RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance in your membership, you can opt to exclude RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance when renewing, applying for membership, or upgrading your membership from one type to another. 

If you prefer, you can also opt out by contacting our membership team at [email protected] or on 0207 572 2737. 

How do I opt into RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance at a later date?

If you do not currently need RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance but wish to add it to your membership package in the future, simply opt out of the benefit for now – see the question above “How do I opt out of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?” for details of how to do this.

Once you have opted out, you can then take up RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance at a time that’s more convenient for you, in any of the following ways:

Want to manually add this benefit to your membership package?

You can add-on RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance at any time using this form.

Want to wait until your current insurance expires?

Let us know when your current insurance expires by filling in this form and we will contact you closer to the time to remind you to add-on RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance.

Do you pay via Direct Debit and want to wait until your next membership renewal?

Update your preferences in the My RCPharm section of your account, and then simply wait until you next renew your membership – RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will be added to your membership package.

Why has RCPharm decided to provide insurance?

Pharmacists today work across practice settings; they are prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines such as vaccines both inside and outside the NHS.

With Indemnity insurance a requirement of the General Pharmaceutical Council, pharmacists have told us they want insurance that is flexible, clear, and affordable.

Flexible: to include every stage of your practice — including advanced and portfolio careers

Clear: to meet the complex demands of your diverse practice settings — including prescribing

Affordable: to give the best value at every stage of your career.

We believe you should feel personally secure, confident to practise, and able to expand the scope of your work, with expert support from legal and professional advisors.

The pharmacy landscape is changing rapidly. Advances in practice mean pharmacists are taking on expanded responsibilities to enhance patient care. Neal Patel (RCPharm Associate Director of Membership), has written about why we have created RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance for our members.

What are the GPhC requirements for insurance?

You must make sure that the indemnity arrangement you have in place provides appropriate cover. This means that the cover needs to be appropriate to the nature and extent of the risks involved in your practice so that enough compensation will be paid to the patient should a successful claim be made against you.

What is appropriate cover for you will depend on a combination of factors, including:

• The practice area or areas of practice you work in
• The services you provide to patients and the public
• The risks involved with your practice

Why is RCPharm using an “opt-out” model?

We wanted to give members the choice of whether or not to take out RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance with us — but we also wanted to ensure that members proactively need to choose to opt-out in order to reduce the risk of accidental exposure to professional liability (by thinking they were insured when they were not).

We believe that this approach is more convenient and ensures you’re protected.

For existing members, we are being transparent about the fact you can opt out of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance by clearly notifying you of the new cost and coverage details. If you are an RCPharm member and pay by Direct Debit, you will be notified by letter, email and text message informing you of the revised cost, including the new benefit, and that you can opt out of RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance if you wish.

Once you have renewed there is also a 14-day ‘cooling-off’ period during which you can cancel RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance and receive a refund for this element of your membership.

The benefits of being automatically enrolled into RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance include:

• Simplified experience with no complex forms or applications to complete
• Protection against claims related to your professional work once you have paid and the appropriate sanctions and underwriting checks have been completed
• Reduced risk of unintentionally being uninsured

Is RCPharm registered with the Financial Conduct Authority to offer insurance products?

RCPharm is not an insurance company or broker. The cover is offered by Segment Risk Ltd as Authorised Representatives on behalf of the insurer and arranged on RCPharm’s behalf by Aon. Segment Risk Ltd, the insurer and Aon are all authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.  The primary purpose of the RCPharm insurance offer is to improve patient and public safety by ensuring that all pharmacists are able to hold appropriate cover for their activities and the insurance is not offered to make a profit for RCPharm. Therefore, it falls outside the scope of the requirement for RCPharm to hold FCA authorisation as the FCA permits groups and clubs to set up insurance benefits for their members where there is no direct financial benefit to the membership body.

Who is the policyholder under the RCPharm insurance for members?

The RCPharm insurance policy is a group scheme policy provided by Segment Risk Ltd to RCPharm (the Policyholder). As the Policyholder, RCPharm is responsible for explaining the insurance needs of its members and agreeing the insurance policy, ensuring that the insurance premium is paid to Aon (the broker) on time and for enforcing the contract with Segment Risk Ltd for provision of insurance. RCPharm individual members are the beneficiaries under this policy and must comply with the obligations imposed on beneficiaries by Segment Risk Ltd, as communicated by us, to benefit from the cover.

What if I become aware of a claim that predates my RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance includes up to 3 years retroactive cover (up to 10 years for claims related to product liability or liability under the Consumer Protection Act) – depending on how long you previously held claims-made cover before joining.  This means that if a historical claim relating to a time within the retroactive period before your policy start date (when you were insured by another insurer but were not aware of the claim) arises, RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will cover this.

What if I become aware of a claim after I retire and no longer have RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance?

If you were not aware of the incident at the time, and only found out after you left RCPharm membership then it will depend on your circumstances:

• If your RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance ended due to you ceasing practice (due to disability, retirement, or death) then you could still seek support within the 3-year extended reporting period (10 years for claims related to product liability or liability under the Consumer Protection Act) that starts when your RCPharm membership ceases. This extended reporting period is free.
• If your RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance ended due to you moving your liability cover to another insurance provider, then you would need to obtain retroactive cover from your new provider for any incurred but not reported matters that arise from your RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance Policy Period.

I am a Qualified Person, does the policy cover my practice?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will cover all duties that QPs undertake as part of their normal duties, however, the price of the policy premium for QPs is equal to that of Self-employed members (i.e. £261 + membership fees) regardless of employment status.

QPs premiums are higher due to the fact that the risk of their actions/inactions is compounded. Where a pharmacist could potentially harm one single patient if they made an error, a single error by a QP has the potential to impact multiple patients. 

I am an Aesthetic Pharmacist, does the policy cover my practice?

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance will cover all pharmacy duties plus botox and fillers that Aesthetic Pharmacists undertake as part of their normal duties, however, due to the higher risk profile of the role, the price of the policy premium for Aesthetic Pharmacists is equal to that of Self-employed members (i.e. £261 + membership fees) regardless of employment status. If you do any other aesthetic procedures outside of prescribing and/or administering Botox and fillers, you will need to seek specialist insurance.

I’d like to take out RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, but I’m already insured until midway through my membership term.

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is competitively priced and so you may wish to consider whether it is more economical for you to cancel your current insurance policy and start your RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance straight away. Your current insurer / policy documents should explain if any refund/fee would be associated with this. However, if you’d prefer to wait, you can let our membership team know when your current insurance expires by completing this form, and we’ll contact you before then to add the RCPharm Professional Indemnity insurance into your membership package at a time that’s right for you.

RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance Case Studies for your role

We’ve prepared some common scenarios for pharmacy roles, explaining how and why RCPharm PLI can protect you and give you peace of mind in your practice.

Employed Community Pharmacists

Working in a community pharmacy, George needs to have insurance in place. Although George understands his employer has insurance, if a patient brings legal action against him and/or the pharmacy, he needs to know that he is covered for any damages and legal fees should he make an error, such as dispensing the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, etc.

With his RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, George has comprehensive coverage for his professional duties (including prescribing) should his employer’s insurance not respond in the event of a claim. He is also covered for legal representation at a GPhC Fitness to Practise hearing.

Hospital Pharmacists

As a hospital pharmacist, Geeta is confident that she is covered by her employer in the event a claim is made against her. However, she won’t be supported if she is referred to the regulator or has to give evidence to the Coroner.

In most cases, claims arising from a prescribing/medication error in a hospital would be made against the hospital and covered by the NHS Trust’s indemnity. However, if Geeta were referred to the GPhC by her employer, the NHS do not cover legal defence costs for regulatory matters.

With her RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Geeta is covered for legal representation at GPhC Fitness to Practise hearings and would also be supported should she have to attend the Coroner’s Court.

University Lecturers (non-patient facing pharmacists)

A lecturer in pharmacy at a UK university for over 20 years, Alma always assumed that she was covered under her employer’s insurance. However, Fitness to Practise (FtP) referrals can be made for many issues; if Alma was referred to the regulator by a student (even for a spurious claim) she would need to attend an FtP hearing to defend herself. Her employer may not cover the costs for legal defence.

With her RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Alma would be covered for her legal representation at a GPhC Fitness to Practise hearing, regardless of the outcome and the reason for the referral.

Primary Care and portfolio careers

Working in a GP surgery, Simon is confident that any claims would be made against the GP surgery, rather than him, and that he is covered by his employer’s CNSGP indemnity for his work with NHS patients. However, Simon sometimes offers non-NHS travel vaccinations at the GP surgery, is also employed by an out of hours provider and an online clinic, who he prescribes privately for.

What Simon doesn’t realise is that if he were referred to the GPhC then CNSGP would not cover his legal defence, he also needs insurance for his private prescribing (usually including the patients that pay a fee at the GP surgery).

With his RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Simon has comprehensive coverage to insure his professional duties, including prescribing should his employer’s insurance not respond in the event of a claim. He is also covered for legal representation at a GPhC Fitness to Practise hearing.

Prescribing Pharmacists

Diana is a prescribing pharmacist in a community pharmacy. It’s a new role for her, and comes with a lot more responsibility, but she enjoys that. Fortunately, because prescribing is a part of Diana’s professional duties, RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance includes this as standard.

With her RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Diana is confident in making the most of her new qualification and advancing her practice to include further clinical responsibilities.

Locum Pharmacists

Andrew enjoys being a locum pharmacist, because of the variety of work it brings, but being a locum is not without its challenges. Andrew wants to be certain he is ready for anything the role can bring – the good and the bad.

With his RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Andrew can always operate at his very best, knowing he is covered for the duties of his daily work – wherever they may be!

Medicines Optimisation Pharmacists

As a medicines optimisation pharmacist, Muhammad offers guidance and writes policies around medicine management. He is not patient facing, but his advice does influence the treatment of patients, and he is on the GPhC register.

Muhammed is keen to ensure he has support to protect his professional reputation should a complaint ever be made about his work to the GPhC.

With RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Muhammad is covered for legal representation at GPhC Fitness to Practise hearings and would also be supported should he have to attend the Coroner’s Court.  If a claim did come in relating to his advice, then he has support under the employed contingent cover or self-employed professional liability (depending upon his employment status).

Qualified Persons

Anthea is a Qualified Person (QP) and GPhC registered pharmacist, responsible for assuring the quality of medicines. Anthea has been rigorously trained, with an in-depth understanding of pharmaceutical manufacture, and has been certified by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society as a QP.

Anthea is legally responsible for certifying batches of medicinal products before they’re used in clinical trials or available on the market.

But Anthea doesn’t only need expertise in manufacturing practice, she is also involved across factors that can affect the safety of medicines and supply chains, such as auditing suppliers, staff training and QMS remediation.

Anthea has been struggling to find insurance that covers her roles in both the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry. Now, by indicating she is a QP on the “membership application” or “insurance add-on” form when she takes out RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance, Anthea knows she is covered as a registered pharmacist and a QP in the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry.

Aesthetic Pharmacists

John refers to himself as an “Aesthetic Pharmacist” because he is  a pharmacist with expertise in cosmetic procedures. He also works as a prescriber in an NHS dermatology clinic. He is concerned that his insurance won’t cover his private work.

John uses his pharmacy knowledge and skills alongside additional specialist training. to provide skincare consultations. He  prescribes and administers injectable treatments ( Botox and dermal fillers*), and sometimes delegates administration of Botox to colleagues (but always follows the GPhC guidance!)When John takes out RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance he can indicate he is an Aesthetic Pharmacist on the “membership application” or “insurance add-on” form. Then, he knows he is covered for his activity as an NHS prescriber AND as a pharmacist working in a private aesthetic clinic.

*If John did any other cosmetic work outside botox and fillers he would need to secure alternative indemnity.

Employed Pharmacist (Contingent Liability)

Sam is an employed prescriber who receives a letter from a law firm in advance of civil proceedings claiming compensation for patient harm allegedly caused by Sam prescribing the wrong medication for a child. Sam also receives a letter from GPhC advising they have launched an investigation into this incident. Sam has Professional Liability insurance through his membership of RCPharm. Sam’s employers let him know that their insurer has declined the claim on the basis that the insurer believes Sam was working outside the scope of the insurance policy. The employer also declines to support Sam with the pending GPhC hearing, as this is not part of their cover. Because Sam has his own professional liability insurance which covers prescribing as standard he receives full legal support for both the civil insurance claim and GPhC investigation. Although the civil claim for harm is successful, the damages and legal costs are paid by the insurer. Sam is supported by a legal team provided by RCPharm PLI throughout the GPhC process, which ends without sanction.

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RCPharm Professional Liability Insurance is arranged by Aon UK Limited and underwritten by certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s led by Carbon Syndicate 4747. Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Registered head office tel: 020 7623 5500 – NB. this number is for general enquiries only; if you have a question about the RCPharm  Professional Liability Insurance policy, please call the RCPharm  membership team on 0207 572 2737 or refer to www.rcpharm.org/insurance-how 

The following products or services provided by Aon UK Limited are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority:
-Legal advice and defence services

-Medico legal helpline

FP.CORP.2026.764.CCb