News

Attention Registered Paramedics: Make sure you are covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)!

Union PII would have saved a nurse from AHPRA reprimand

A nurse has been reprimanded under the Health Practitioner National Law for failing to maintain her professional indemnity insurance (PII) over a period of years and for misrepresenting her insurance status to AHPRA.[1] The nurse would likely have had her practising certificate suspended for one to three months had AHPRA not taken 5 years to pursue the case.

The nurse previously received PII through her Union which she let lapse. The nurse accepted that she should have returned to the Union and taken out their simple and reliable PII. 

VAU Professional Indemnity Insurance

All VAU Paramedic financial members are covered by our PII policy. Non-Paramedic members don’t require PII and therefore PII is not provided as part of their membership.

If you use the title of Paramedic or another sign or symbol that would indicate you are a Paramedic, claim to be registered under the National Law, or claim to be qualified to practice as a Paramedic, you should be registered with AHPRA as a Paramedic and ensure you have PII. This is the case even if you are working in non-emergency patient transport, the private sector, or a public hospital.

You will receive our PII as a financial Paramedic member.

You can download an individualised letter from the VAU portal confirming your status as a financial member and coverage by the VAU PII policy for the duration of your VAU paramedic membership. Do this by clicking on “My Professional Indemnity Insurance” under the Membership tab in your portal.

The information in this bulletin is general advice only. Each individual member is responsible for ensuring their compliance with AHPRA’s requirements. If you require further advice about your individual situation, please contact the VAU.

[1] See Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia v Lloyd (Review and Regulation [2024] VCAT 293