Accusations fly in row over insurance cover

The dispute started earlier this month, after the AOP and ABDO wrote to practitioners warning them that everyone needed to be personally insured, and not rely on their employers' insurance to cover them if a negligence case should arise. FODO then dismissed the warning (News, September 19).
General secretary Bob Hughes told optician this week that he saw the letter as an 'attack' on FODO's insurance scheme, and it was misleading to claim that employees are not adequately covered under a company's insurance policies. 'We have received calls from concerned practitioners, who are falsely worried. It is scaremongering to suggest practitioners need to take out their own insurance, and simply an attempt to drum up business.'
The AOP's head of communications David Craig claimed that every practitioner was at risk of being personally sued by a patient, and it was imperative that those who did not have individual negligence insurance covered themselves immediately.
This insurance is an optional extra of ABDO's package and part of the AOP's membership. Craig estimated that 90 per cent of practising optometrists were AOP members, and therefore covered, but added: 'It is a dangerous situation, not being insured, and a huge risk to take. While we agree with FODO that this is an exceptional situation, that is why we take out insurance Ð to cover for the exceptional.'
All the associations said they had received enquiries from concerned practitioners about the matter.The spat between the profession's optical bodies over personal negligence insurance continued this week, with FODO labelling the AOP/ ABDO's stance as 'scaremongering'.
The dispute started earlier this month, after the AOP and ABDO wrote to practitioners warning them that everyone needed to be personally insured, and not rely on their employers' insurance to cover them if a negligence case should arise. FODO then dismissed the warning (News, September 19).
General secretary Bob Hughes told optician this week that he saw the letter as an 'attack' on FODO's insurance scheme, and it was misleading to claim that employees are not adequately covered under a company's insurance policies. 'We have received calls from concerned practitioners, who are falsely worried. It is scaremongering to suggest practitioners need to take out their own insurance, and simply an attempt to drum up business.'
The AOP's head of communications David Craig claimed that every practitioner was at risk of being personally sued by a patient, and it was imperative that those who did not have individual negligence insurance covered themselves immediately.
This insurance is an optional extra of ABDO's package and part of the AOP's membership. Craig estimated that 90 per cent of practising optometrists were AOP members, and therefore covered, but added: 'It is a dangerous situation, not being insured, and a huge risk to take. While we agree with FODO that this is an exceptional situation, that is why we take out insurance Ð to cover for the exceptional.'
All the associations said they had received enquiries from concerned practitioners about the matter.The spat between the profession's optical bodies over personal negligence insurance continued this week, with FODO labelling the AOP/ ABDO's stance as 'scaremongering'.
The dispute started earlier this month, after the AOP and ABDO wrote to practitioners warning them that everyone needed to be personally insured, and not rely on their employers' insurance to cover them if a negligence case should arise. FODO then dismissed the warning (News, September 19).
General secretary Bob Hughes told optician this week that he saw the letter as an 'attack' on FODO's insurance scheme, and it was misleading to claim that employees are not adequately covered under a company's insurance policies. 'We have received calls from concerned practitioners, who are falsely worried. It is scaremongering to suggest practitioners need to take out their own insurance, and simply an attempt to drum up business.'
The AOP's head of communications David Craig claimed that every practitioner was at risk of being personally sued by a patient, and it was imperative that those who did not have individual negligence insurance covered themselves immediately.
This insurance is an optional extra of ABDO's package and part of the AOP's membership. Craig estimated that 90 per cent of practising optometrists were AOP members, and therefore covered, but added: 'It is a dangerous situation, not being insured, and a huge risk to take. While we agree with FODO that this is an exceptional situation, that is why we take out insurance Ð to cover for the exceptional.'
All the associations said they had received enquiries from concerned practitioners about the matter.