Professional liability insurance

A healthcare professional must maintain appropriate professional liability coverage at all times while licensed with CHCPBC.

Professional liability insurance (or “PLI”) protects both the public and healthcare professionals by covering the costs associated with claims of malpractice, negligence, or errors in professional services.

If a member of the public is harmed as a result of a professional’s care, PLI helps ensure that financial compensation and legal costs can be addressed.

Who is required to have PLI?

All CHCPBC licensees in the Full, Provisional, and Temporary classes must be covered by PLI. It is each licensee’s responsibility to ensure that their PLI meets the requirements set out in Bylaw 9.12.

A licensee in the Full or Provisional class must continue to maintain PLI even if they are not currently practising.

What are the requirements?

Under the CHCPBC Bylaws, every licensee must maintain professional liability protection or insurance that:

  • provides coverage of at least $2 million per claim or occurrence,
  • covers their professional practice within the applicable profession(s), and
  • remains valid and in effect at all times while they are licensed with CHCPBC.

Is individual PLI required?

Physical therapists must maintain their own individual PLI, in accordance with the PT-specific Professional Liability Insurance Requirements policy (PDF).

For all other professions, employer-provided coverage may be acceptable, as long as it meets CHCPBC bylaw requirements.

Proof of PLI must be provided:

At initial application

Proof of coverage is required prior to licensure approval.

As part of your application, you will be required to provide a copy of your professional liability insurance policy that clearly shows:

  • Your name
  • The profession for which you are insured
  • The coverage amount
  • The effective start date and expiry date of the policy

At annual renewal

Details of coverage are required as part of annual licence renewal. In the Licensee Portal, enter the name of your insurance provider and the policy effective and expiry dates.

  • If your sole employer is a facility or agency in a Health Authority and is therefore covered by the Health Care Protection Program, enter HCPP as your provider and the dates of the new licensure year (April 1 of this year–March 31 of next year) as your policy start and expiry dates. Please do not enter Ministry of Finance as your provider.
  • If your sole employer is a school district, enter Schools Protection Program as your provider and the start/expiry dates defined in your policy.

At any time, upon request

Proof may be requested for audit or compliance review purposes.

Where to find support

The College will review the proof of PLI coverage submitted to determine whether it meets the bylaw requirements. However, the College cannot provide advice regarding the specific terms, conditions, exclusions, or coverage details of an insurance policy beyond the requirements outlined in the CHCPBC Bylaws.

If you have questions about your PLI policy or coverage, please contact your employer, professional association, insurance broker, or insurance provider.

CHCPBC does not recommend or endorse any insurance provider.