Categories of Membership and Benefits

Practising membership will provide FTP legal expense insurance for both public and private work.

It is advisable to check the FTP coverage you have with Fórsa – does it:

• cover you for the private work you do,
• cover you if you were not a Fórsa member at the time of the complaint,
• provide legal advice and response for the preliminary proceedings of the FTP investigation,
• provide barrister presence at the FTP Hearing, and
• include professional support from a physiotherapist throughout the FTP process.

Yes, as long as you are a member in the practising category of membership, at the time the complaint is made to CORU, the FTP legal expense insurance will provide cover. You need to remain a member in the practising category of membership through the FTP process.

There are several things you need to consider in selecting the appropriate category of membership.

• If you remain on the CORU register it is strongly advisable to have FTP legal expense insurance. This is included in practising membership. You must remain compliant with CPD during this period.
  
  
• If you voluntarily remove your name from the CORU register, you do not require FTP legal expense insurance, non-practising membership would then be appropriate.
  
  However, a complaint can be made against you while your name is off the register. In applying to have your name restored to the register, the complaint would then be considered. If in the non-practising membership category at the time CORU receives the complaint, you will not be covered by FTP legal expense insurance.
  
  
• If you voluntarily remove your name from the register, you cannot call yourself a physiotherapists and you cannot work in any capacity (paid or voluntary) as a physiotherapist.
  
  
• If you have had professional indemnity/liability insurance with Arachas it is recommended you continue with cover as a claim can be made retrospectively. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership.

There are several things you need to consider in selecting the appropriate category of membership:

• If you remain on the CORU register it is strongly advisable to have FTP legal expense insurance. This is included in practising membership. You must remain compliant with CPD during this period.
  
  
• If you voluntarily remove your name from the CORU register, you do not require FTP legal expense insurance , non-practising membership would then be appropriate.
  
  However, a complaint can be made against you while your name is off the register. In applying to have your name restored to the register, the complaint would then be considered. If in the non-practising membership category at the time CORU receives the complaint, you will not be covered by FTP legal expense insurance.
  
  
• If you voluntarily remove your name from the register, you cannot call yourself a physiotherapists and you cannot work in any capacity (paid or voluntary) as a physiotherapist.
  
  
• If you have had professional indemnity/liability insurance with Arachas it is recommended you continue with cover as a claim can be made retrospectively. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership.

There are several things you need to consider in selecting the appropriate category of membership:

• If you remain on the CORU register it is strongly advisable to have FTP legal expense insurance. This is included in practising membership. You must remain compliant with CPD during this period.
  
  
• If you voluntarily remove your name from the CORU register for this period, you do not require FTP legal expense insurance, non-practising membership would be appropriate.
  
  However a complaint can be made against you while your name is off the register. In applying to have your name restored to the register the complaint would be considered.
  
  If you voluntarily remove your name from the register, you cannot call yourself a physiotherapists and you cannot work in any capacity (paid or voluntary) as a physiotherapist.
  
  
• If your name is off the CORU register for more than 2 years you may be required to complete a return to practice period before your name is restored to the register.
  
  
• If you have had professional indemnity/liability insurance with Arachas it is recommended you continue with this as a claim can be made retrospectively. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership

There are a several things you need to consider in selecting the appropriate category of membership:

• If you are retiring from a job, but might do some work or some voluntary work as a physiotherapist, you must remain on the CORU register.
  If you remain on the CORU register it is strongly advisable to have FTP legal expense insurance. This is included in practising membership. You must remain compliant with CPD during this period.
  
  
• If you have decided to retire completely and not treat another person – it is advisable to voluntarily remove your name from the CORU register, you do not require FTP legal expense insurance, and the retired category of membership would be appropriate. There is no ‘run off’ insurance attached to FTP insurance.
  
  
• Professional indemnity/liability insurance requires a ‘run off’ period after you stop working. To avail of ‘run-off’ insurance you must contact Arachas directly.

No, Professional indemnity/liability ‘run-off’ insurance cover with Arachas is available if you were a member and had insurance cover up until the time of retiring. ‘Run-off’ cover must be arranged directly with Arachas.

No, it is not possible to change from practising membership to non-practising membership during the course of a membership year.

Yes, if you commence practising you must notify the Office within 21 days and change your category of membership to practising membership.

No, there is a direct debit option. To avail of the direct debit option memebrship must be renewed before the 30th September of the memebrship year. 

The first debit will be taken on the 6th October for a 9 month period. The direct debit mandate must be submitted to [email protected] by the end of September.
- The direct debit option is available to members who renew and return the direct debit order mandate before the end of September.
- If you renew or join after September the membership fees need to be paid in full.

Renewals will close this year on 30th September. You must renew by this date.

If you do not renew by this date your memebrship benefits will be stopped (inlcuding fitness to practice legal expense insurance).

You can rejoin at any time after this by logging into your profile and renewing. If you have any problems please email [email protected] 

Yes, as a claim can be made retrospectively, it is recommended you continue with professional indemnity/liability insurance. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership.
The professional indemnity/liability insurance will provide cover for your public and previous private work.

Yes, as a claim can be made retrospectively, it is recommended you continue with professional indemnity/liability insurance. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership.

The professional indemnity/liability insurance will provide cover for your public and previous private work.

Yes, as a claim can be made retrospectively, it is recommended you continue with professional indemnity/liability insurance. To continue with Arachas professional indemnity/liability insurance you must have practising membership

Response from Arachas:

Physiotherapists who work in the public sector, are likely to be indemnified by the CIS in the majority of circumstances, because ordinarily, the relevant employer, e.g. the HSE, will be responsible for the actions of its employees.
However, it is unlikely that the CIS, if requested, would provide an open-ended indemnity to any employee, for any or all incidents which may be made against the employee, at any stage in the future. It is more likely that the CIS would review the circumstances of any incident which gives rise to a claim, to determine that liability is attaching the employing entity, e.g., the HSE, before providing such an indemnity.
More importantly, while claims for damages from patients are usually made against the employing entity, there is the potential for individual health and social care professionals to be named individually as a joint party to the proceedings issued, e.g., the action may be taken against both the hospital or clinic, and the individual physiotherapist. Again, it is likely that the CIS would review the circumstances giving rise to a claim, to determine that liability is attaching the employing entity, before providing an indemnity to the individual physiotherapist.
If the individual physiotherapist is named a as a party to proceedings and has no insurance cover, they would need to engage and pay for, legal advice to represent their interests while awaiting any potential indemnity from the CIS. There are obviously costs implications attaching to this.
If the individual physiotherapist is named a as a party to proceedings and has insurance cover, their insurer will enter an appearance of their behalf and respond to the allegations, whilst awaiting any potential indemnity from the CIS. Moreover, if an indemnity is not forthcoming from the CIS, the insurer will continue to represent the individual for the duration of the claim - subject to the policy terms and conditions.