Switching from a Defence Union.
Switching from a defence union to an insurer is more straightforward than it’s often assumed. The key is understanding how your current policy is structured, and how your historic cover will transfer. Once that’s clear, the transition is handled properly, with no gaps and no unnecessary complexity.
Defence unions typically provide cover on a Claims Occurred basis.
Each annual subscription covers work undertaken during that year, and that agreement remains in place indefinitely for that specific period.
When moving to a Claims Made insurance policy, your historic work under the defence union remains protected by those existing agreements.
Your new insurance policy then covers:
- The coming year’s work
- Subsequent years on a growing retrospective basis
There’s no loss of historic protection when structured properly.
At retirement, your Primus policy provides run-off cover for at least 21 years, covering work undertaken during the insured period.
The transition is administrative, not structural.
If you’re at all unsure how your current cover operates, ask for written confirmation from your provider before making your move.
Historic Defence Union Cover.
Defence Unions provide cover on a Claims Occurred basis, with the premise being that you pay for an agreement that covers you for all the work you undertake in the coming year. This agreement then remains in place indefinitely, potentially covering you for any claims that may arise from the work undertaken during this period. The following year you would then purchase another agreement to cover you for that year’s work. As each year passes, you add more and more individual policies, covering a greater period of time.
For this example, let’s assume the consultant has been with a Defence Union for two years on a Claims Occurred basis and has two agreements in place. These started on 01.01.2024 and 01.01.2025, covering the past 2 year’s work.
Claims Occurred agreement provided by Defence Union
Claims Occurred agreement provided by Defence Union
Year 1.
A medical indemnity insurance policy provided on a Claims Made basis works on the premise of a single policy covering you for a period of time, made up of your coming year’s work as well as covering a period of historic work (known as retrospective or retroactive cover) if required. Each year when the policy is renewed, the period of work covered grows, ensuring that both your historic and current work are indemnified.
In this example, the new Claims Made insurance policy with Primus is put in place to cover the coming year’s work, starting on 01/01/2026 and ending on 31/12/2026. The historic work is covered by the Claims Occurred agreements with the Defence Unions.
Claims Occurred agreement provided by Defence Union
Cover for the coming year's work with Primus
Year 2.
The following year the insurance policy with Primus is renewed, with the new policy starting on 01/01/2027 and expiring on 31/12/2027. This indemnifies you for the coming year’s work, as well as providing retroactive cover from 01/01/2026 for any claims arising from work undertaken in the previous year. The Claims Occurred insurance policies in place prior to 01/01/2026 remain in place, providing historic cover for this period.
Claims Occurred agreement with Defence Union
Retroactive cover for historic work with Primus
Cover for the coming year's work with Primus
As the consultant renews their insurance policy, the period it covers will continue to grow. When the consultant retires, the “run-off cover” or “tail cover” element of the policy starts, providing cover against any claims that may arise during their retirement.
For the policies offered by Primus, there is no cost for run-off cover and it will cover you for a minimum of 21 years into retirement.
If you are at all unsure about the basis on which your current cover is provided, please speak to your current provider and request that they confirm it in writing.
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