Healthcare placement agencies and Locum agencies in South Africa face claims arising from the provision of professional services by locums and medical professional they place at the various health care facilities.
As a placement agency you need medical malpractice and professional indemnity to cover you from placement risks. Your health care professionals / nurses also need insurance in their own capacity as they are not employees of the hospital or the agency.
Your responsibility as a placement agency is to place the best medical professionals at the hospitals, that require their services. However, as an agency you are not in a position to provide direct supervision of the individuals you are placing. That’s why you need to vet them correctly.
You can avoid incorrect placement risk by answering the following questions:
Does the applicant have a current and valid registration with the Health Professional Council or South African Nursing Council?
Is the position aligned with their qualification and experience?
Have you checked their references?
Have you done a criminal record check?
Do you get regular feedback on their performance?
Do your medical professionals keep up with the latest trends?
Do your medical professionals fulfil the Continuous Development requirements?
Do you ensure that the nurses/ medical professionals have their own individual medical malpractice and professional indemnity insurance?
Mistakes happen, even to the best clinicians. However, many of them do not have their own individual malpractice liability insurance which can be crippling to their financial wellbeing and careers and can have the same detrimental effect on the placement agency who placed them.