Indemnity guidance

Dental professionals are required by law to have appropriate indemnity or insurance in place before they practise. This is to ensure any patient who suffers harm in the course of a treatment can seek appropriate compensation.

When you register, renew, or restore your registration you will be asked to declare that you have, or will have, cover in place before you start working as a dental professional.

This must be done when joining the GDC register and during the annual renewal periods (November/December for dentists and June/July for dental care professionals).

If you do not have your own indemnity cover, for example you are covered under your employer’s policy, you will need to make sure you have, or can access, the details of the policy.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have appropriate cover for your scope of practice. If you are an employing dentist with DCPs covered under your policy, you will need to make the appropriate information available to them should they require it.

Please remember – making a false declaration to the GDC is a serious issue. If you declare to the GDC that you have appropriate indemnity in place and this is found to be false, this may be considered a fitness to practise matter.

For more information, download our Guidance on indemnity and insurance.

The Guidance on Indemnity and Insurance has been updated following a consultation in 2023.

Although the updated guidance does not introduce any new requirements for dental professionals, it clarifies the requirements around holding cover that will compensate patients who have suffered harm, in the event of a successful claim. This updated guidance now includes an explanation of the different types of cover available and the additional benefits that dental professionals should consider when arranging cover, such as advice and support for their wellbeing during a claim.

The guidance also now includes a checklist and series of questions for dental professionals to consider when choosing an indemnity or insurance cover – all of which is there to make it easier for dental professionals to decide on the type and level of cover they’ll need to protect themselves and their patients.

Frequently asked questions

I am applying for registration for the first time and I do not have indemnity cover yet. What should I do?

That’s ok. We understand that those who have not yet registered will not yet have indemnity cover in place.

What you will need to do is declare during the registration application process that you will have appropriate indemnity cover in place by the time you start to practise.

If we ask you to provide further information about your expected indemnity arrangements, we may ask you whether you will be covered by your employer’s indemnity, or whether you will be covered by Crown indemnity (for example if working in a hospital). Or, if you will have your own policy, we may ask you for the details of the indemnity organisation you may have already talked to about organising cover.

I'm covered by my employer's policy - is that OK?

If you don’t have your own individual policy, and are covered under your employer’s indemnity cover, that’s ok.

However, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are appropriately indemnified under your employer’s cover for all of the tasks that you do and all of the places where you work. If you are unsure, you need to check.

You may be asked to provide details of your indemnity cover to the GDC. In this case, you will need to ask your employer for the details of the policy so that you can submit this to the GDC within the 28 day time limit, along with a confirmation letter from the policy holder to confirm that you are covered by the policy.

Are there advantages to having individual cover?

Yes. Whilst it is ok to be covered under your employer's policy (maybe as a dental nurse, a technician covered by your workplace's policy or NHS/Crown indemnity) you may wish to think about having your own policy.

Your own policy may provide additional support such as:

Provide you with support and advice if you have any queries or questions;
Provide cover for your legal costs in an FtP hearing if this were ever needed

However, it would be up to you to decide whether or not you want this additional cover. The GDC does not require it - we only require you to have arrangements in place should a patient make a claim for compensation.

Do I need to have indemnity if I have sufficient savings/investments to cover a patient claim?

Self-funded arrangements - such as relying on your own personal savings or investments to cover a patient claim - are not permitted. You still need to have indemnity or insurance arrangements in place.

How and when will I have to submit a declaration?

Anyone wishing to join the register for the first time, or restoring, will need to declare that they have (or will have) indemnity in place during the application process.

DCPs will make their indemnity declaration during their annual renewal period (deadline 31 July).

Dentists will make their indemnity declaration during their annual renewal period (deadline 31 December).

The easiest way to submit your declaration is through your eGDC account.

I am working overseas. Do I still need indemnity?

You will need to make sure you comply with the local requirements, for example those set by the regulator or legislation in that country.

You should be covered for all the tasks that you do in that country as there is still a possibility that a patient could make a claim against you.

The indemnity/cover does not need to be provided by a UK-based provider but by a provider based in the country where you are working.

I consider myself working in a non-clinical role, what is appropriate cover for this scenario?

Dental professionals must have indemnity cover that is appropriate to the work they are doing.

Only a very small number of dental professionals do not require any indemnity or insurance. This may include those who are not working and those who work in completely non-clinical roles such as teaching (and whose employers do not require them to have indemnity or insurance). If you are not working, you need to be sure that patients can claim if a problem arises from when you were working.

Dental technicians who are working in laboratory and who are signing off work require indemnity or insurance.

If you are completely sure that you do not need indemnity for your role, you must still submit a declaration each year when you are renewing your registration.

If, however, your circumstances change, and you resume clinical interaction with patients, you would of course need to be appropriately indemnified. You would be required to update your indemnity declaration through eGDC to state you now have indemnity cover in place.

If you are unsure whether your role requires you to have indemnity cover, please contact us to check.

I employ DCPs who are covered under my policy. Do I need to provide their details to the GDC too?

If you are asked to provide further information regarding your indemnity cover when you are renewing your registration, then you will only need to provide information regarding your own cover.

However, if one of your employees who is covered under your policy is asked to provide further information to the GDC, you will need to ensure that they have the appropriate information, along with a letter to confirm they are covered by the policy so that they can submit this to the GDC within the 28 day time limit.

I'm a dental technician and don't see patients, do I still have to have indemnity?

Dental technicians must ensure that they are covered for all the tasks that they do.

In some cases, all of a technician’s tasks may be covered by their workplace’s insurance policies.

However, dental technicians who are relying on their workplace’s policy must assure themselves that they are appropriately covered for all of the tasks that they are doing.

Dental technicians should be aware that their workplace's insurance policies may not protect them if they do something that leads to a fitness to practise allegation or a disciplinary process.

My employer has employers' liability insurance. Is this sufficient?

No. Employers' liability insurance covers your employer against the cost of compensation claims arising from an injury you (the employee) might sustain at work.

This is not the same as professional indemnity which can pay out compensation to a patient should they need to make a claim against you.

Will I have to provide my indemnity certificate to you?

You will not have to provide your indemnity certificate unless we specifically ask you to. We will provide full information about what you would need to send us if we contact you for further information.

We will accept copies of certificates, scanned copies of certificates or, if you are employed in an NHS role, for example in a dental hospital, we will accept a letter from the NHS Human Resources department confirming your employment status and the fact that you are therefore covered by the organisation's indemnity scheme.