Imagine if…

You receive an email from a parent stating that they’re holding you responsible for their child’s injury sustained while at your centre and are suggesting they’ll complain to your regulatory authority if you don’t pay the child’s medical bills.  As you’re sure you and your staff are not to blame and it was simply an accident, you reply to the parent informing them of your version of events.  Some time after you hear from your regulatory authority informing you they’ve received a complaint about your centre which they’ll need to investigate.

Guild Insurance’s Liabilities policies state that as soon you, as the policy holder, experience a claim made against you or an incident which could give rise to a claim, you are required to notify Guild.  However, Guild has noticed a worrying trend where policy holders are responding to complaints on their own without first notifying Guild.  This can have a number of consequences for these people as they’re not receiving the support or guidance their insurance policy may entitle them to.  It can also mean the policy holder is not adhering to the conditions of the insurance policy.

Possible scenarios

The following scenarios are some examples of when you should notify Guild Insurance:

• A parent has requested financial compensation due to their child suffering an injury
• Your regulatory body has informed you that they’ve received a complaint about your centre and will be investigating
• You have been contacted by the Fair Work Commission regarding a disgruntled former employee alleging they’ve been treated unfairly.
• Any other circumstance where you have an uneasy feeling about an incident or situation; when in doubt, notify!

When to notify Guild

Policy holders are sometimes unsure whether a matter is serious enough to warrant notifying their insurance company.  There are some occasions where notifying an insurance company is a must, such as when responding to a regulatory body or when faced with a demand for compensation.  Also, if the incident requires you to notify your regulator, this is a matter which Guild should be made aware of.  However, there are occasions where you need to use your judgement.  If a parent has simply informed you that they’re unhappy with an aspect of your centre yet doesn’t seem overly annoyed or demanding, then this may be a matter which can be sorted by you alone.  Yet if you’re in doubt or unsure, then you should notify Guild. 

Will my premium go up if I notify Guild of a matter?

Notifying Guild of an incident is unlikely to be the cause of a premium increase the following year as Guild’s premium pricing is influenced by a number of factors.  However, as detailed below, not notifying Guild may lead to further stress and complications.  Therefore, the cost of the premium should not be a factor in deciding whether or not to notify Guild.  

Consequences of not notifying Guild

Facing an allegation or investigation of any sort can be an extremely stressful situation.  When an early learning staff member handles a matter themselves without the support of Guild, that stress is compounded as they’ll be dealing with a process they’re unfamiliar with. 

Guild has seen cases where an early learning employee’s own response has either not provided the required information, or a response has been worded in a way which is likely to inflame or escalate the situation.  This usually leads to further investigations being conducted and Guild being notified after the investigation has begun, inhibiting Guild’s support and influence.

When Guild isn’t notified as soon as is reasonably possible of a claim being made, the policy holder may be considered to not be complying with the conditions of the insurance policy.  This can lead to cover under the policy being cancelled or the claim not being paid.

It’s also important to understand that a policy holder may leave themselves with out of pocket expenses by not notifying Guild at the beginning.  This may occur if they engage their own legal counsel not approved by Guild and at a rate Guild believes to be exorbitant or if they have offered to settle a matter without Guild’s consent.

The staff at Guild Insurance have a great deal of experience and expertise in managing allegations and investigations and are well aware of what is required when responding to them.  For this reason, it’s of benefit to everyone involved to notify Guild immediately and be sure the necessary support is provided and process is followed from the start.

How to contact Guild Insurance

To notify Guild of an incident, and therefore make a claim against your insurance policy, either call Guild on 1800 810 213 or go to guildinsurance.com.au/claims.

Download PDF here

Imagine if…

You are advised by your State Veterinary Board that a client has complained about the treatment you provided, suggesting it was performed negligently.  As you’re sure your treatment was appropriate, you immediately reply to the Board informing them of your version of events.  Some time after you hear from the Board again stating that they still have questions about your treatment and will be investigating further.

Guild Insurance’s Liabilities policies state that as soon you, as the policy holder, experience a claim made against you or an incident which could give rise to a claim, you are required to notify Guild.  However, Guild has noticed a worrying trend where policy holders are responding to complaints on their own without first notifying Guild.  This can have a number of consequences for these people as they’re not receiving the support or guidance their insurance policy may entitle them to.  It can also mean the policy holder is not adhering to the conditions of the insurance policy.

Possible scenarios

The following scenarios are some examples of when you should notify Guild Insurance:

• If your Veterinary Board has notified you of a complaint from a client or other person and the Board has asked you to reply with your version of events.
• If a pet insurer has requested access to your clinical records as evidence of treatment provided and billing practices.
• If a solicitor or law firm representing a client has requested access to your clinical records.
• If a client has complained directly to you or your clinic with a formal demand for compensation or suggested they’ll make a notification to the Board.
• Any other circumstance where you have an uneasy feeling about an incident or situation; when in doubt, notify! 

When to notify Guild

Policy holders are sometimes unsure whether a matter is serious enough to warrant notifying their insurance company.  There are some occasions where notifying an insurance company is a must, such as when replying to a Veterinary Board following an allegation, when there is a request for clinical records from a solicitor or funding provider or when there is an allegation of an animal suffering harm following treatment.  However, when a client complains directly to you, this is when you need to use your judgement.  If the client has simply informed you that their animal didn’t respond as hoped to treatment yet doesn’t seem annoyed or demanding, then this may be a matter which can be sorted by you alone.  Yet if you’re in doubt or concerned about the complaint or allegation from the client, then you should notify Guild.

Will my premium go up if I notify Guild of a matter?

Notifying Guild of an incident is unlikely to be the cause of a premium increase the following year as Guild’s premium pricing is influenced by a number of factors.  However, as detailed below, not notifying Guild may lead to further stress and complications.  Therefore, the cost of the premium should not be a factor in deciding whether or not to notify Guild.   

Consequences of not notifying Guild

Facing an allegation or investigation of any sort can be an extremely stressful situation for a veterinarian.  When a veterinarian handles a matter themselves without the support of Guild, that stress is compounded as they’ll be dealing with a process they’re unfamiliar with. 

Guild has seen cases where a veterinarian’s own response has either not provided the required information, or a response has been worded in a way which is likely to inflame or escalate the situation.  This usually leads to further investigations being conducted and Guild being notified after the investigation has begun, inhibiting Guild’s support and influence.

When a veterinarian doesn’t notify Guild as soon as is reasonably possible of a claim made against them, they may be considered to not be complying with the conditions of the insurance policy.  This can lead to cover under the policy being cancelled or the claim not being paid.

It’s also important to understand that a veterinarian may leave themselves with out of pocket expenses by not notifying Guild at the beginning.  This may occur if they engage their own legal counsel not approved by Guild and at a rate Guild believes to be exorbitant or if they have offered to settle a matter without Guild’s consent.

The staff at Guild Insurance have a great deal of experience and expertise in managing allegations and investigations and are well aware of what is required when responding to them.  For this reason, it’s of benefit to everyone involved to notify Guild immediately and be sure the necessary support is provided and process is followed from the start.

How to contact Guild Insurance

To notify Guild of an incident, and therefore make a claim against your insurance policy, either call Guild on 1800 810 213 or go to guildinsurance.com.au/claims.

Download PDF here

A number of errors where medications are dispensed to the wrong customer are reported to Guild Insurance every year.   Of note, many of these occurred when a pharmacist dispensed scripts for two or more members of the same family.  For example, the pharmacist labelled the medications intended for a woman, with her husband’s name.

Similar errors have also occurred when pharmacists dispensed medications via dose administration aids.  For example, Webster packs were prepared correctly, but the pharmacist then put the wrong person’s label on the pack.

These errors can and do happen, even to experienced pharmacists who’ve never made a mistake before.  They can happen to you and they can have serious consequences for you and your customers.

Cases

A pharmacist was processing scripts for a customer and her husband.  The pharmacist inadvertently labelled Carvedilol 12.5mg with ‘Mr’ instead of ‘Mrs’.  As a result, the woman’s husband began taking the medication as directed.  He experienced hypotension and dizziness, causing him to fall and suffer a fractured scapula.

A number of customers were waiting for their scripts to be dispensed.  The pharmacist called out the customer’s name and a woman stepped forward and collected the script.  The customer left the pharmacy and commenced taking the medication as directed. Sometime later, the pharmacist realised that the wrong customer had taken the dispensed medication.  The customer had claimed someone else’s script for Karvea 300mg instead of the Chlorsig eye drops she had been prescribed.  Unfortunately, by the time the customer had been located she had taken the medication and suffered severe hypotension requiring hospitalisation.

Reduce the risk of dispensing errors         

• Adhere to the PDL ‘Guide to good dispensing’ every time. Don’t be coerced into rushing or cutting corners. When errors occur, pharmacists often say “if only I’d taken the time to…”
• Display posters or reminders in the dispensary to promote compliance with dispensing procedures.
• Use barcode scanning every time.
• Make use of the safety features available in your dispensing software. Set up different alerts to remind people to perform certain tasks. Likewise, make use of advanced scanning features that automatically print a barcode on the dispensing label.
• Use alert tags or signs to help distinguish between people with the same or similar surname.
• Don’t process scripts for two or more customers at once. Many errors occur when the wrong person’s labels are affixed to a medication. Don’t rely on the customer to tell you that the label is incorrect.
• Ask the customer to identify themself before handing over the dispensed item. It is not uncommon for the wrong customer to step forward and claim a script. Nor is it uncommon for a customer to say “yes” to the wrong name!
• When handing medications to a customer, point out all warnings and directions on the label and packaging. This not only helps with counselling but serves as a final check against any dispensing error.
• Reducing distractions when a pharmacist is dispensing is everyone’s responsibility. Agree to strict rules for minimising interruptions and distractions in your pharmacy.
• Promote a culture where all staff are confident to point out risky practices when they occur.