Mercantile / Healthcare
Nursing Agency Insurance
Nursing agencies and clinical labour hire businesses supplying staff to healthcare providers.
Insurance for nursing agency
Nursing agencies and clinical labour hire businesses supplying staff to healthcare providers. Mercantile Insurance Brokers helps review the business entity, practitioners, workforce, equipment and contractual insurance requirements.
What services should the insurer know about?
Describe recruitment, credential checking, placement of registered or enrolled nurses and contracted clinical staffing. The policy should reflect the services you actually provide, including work performed away from the clinic or through contractors.
Key exposures to review
Allegations about staff selection, qualifications, rostering, clinical services and vicarious liability for supplied personnel.
Insurers need the split between agency placement services and healthcare delivery, host-facility contracts, wages, turnover and contractor costs.
Which covers may be relevant?
| Cover | Issues to review |
|---|---|
| Professional indemnity / medical malpractice | Declared professional and care services, insured entities, employees, contractors, defence costs and exclusions. |
| Public and products liability | Third-party injury and property damage, premises, off-site work and the interaction with professional-services exclusions. |
| Property and business interruption | Fit-out, contents and equipment, replacement values and income interruption following insured damage. |
| Cyber | Patient information, incident response and interruption following an insured cyber event. Check limits, waiting periods and third-party system cover. |
| Management liability / D&O | Management and employment exposures, subject to the organisation’s structure and policy terms. |
| Workers compensation and motor | Applicable employment scheme requirements and vehicles used for business or client transport. |
Practitioner insurance and the business entity
An individual practitioner’s cover does not automatically insure every company, trust or other entity operating the business. Check the named insured, professional services, insured persons and vicarious liability provisions. Contractors may still need their own cover.
Information for an insurance review
- Legal entity names, locations and services provided.
- Turnover, wages, contractor and labour hire payments.
- Practitioner qualifications, staffing model and work performed by contractors.
- Equipment and fit-out replacement values and expected recovery time after a major loss.
- Client groups, contracts, current policies and renewal date.
- Claims and circumstances that may give rise to a claim.
Frequently asked questions
Does a nurse’s own insurance protect the nursing agency?
It should not be assumed to do so. The agency can face its own claims about selection, placement, systems or responsibility for a nurse’s work. Review both the agency and practitioner arrangements.
What happens when services or contracts change?
Tell your broker before starting materially different activities or signing new insurance requirements. Cover may need adjustment and an insurer may need to accept the change.
Why do retroactive dates and notification matter?
Professional indemnity and medical malpractice are commonly claims-made policies. Review retroactive dates, known circumstances, notification conditions and any need for run-off before changing or cancelling cover.
Insurance review and adviser responsibilities
Insurers may ask about the services delivered, insured practitioners and existing data-handling arrangements. Mercantile provides insurance broking and advice on policy cover. Legal interpretation, contract drafting or negotiation, regulatory compliance, clinical decisions and operational controls should be addressed with your relevant advisers.
Related insurance guidance
Nursing agencies & home care insurance · Entity medical malpractice · All healthcare sectors
General information for Australian businesses. Cover is subject to policy terms, exclusions, limits and insurer acceptance. Prepared by Mercantile Insurance Brokers. Updated 30 September 2026.