Insurance
Please note: The insurance information and documents are currently being updated. If you need any information or documentation, please contact the team at insurance@solent.ac.uk.
The insurance office manages all aspects of insurance pertaining to the University's campus and its staff and students.
If you cannot find the information you are looking for then please use the contact details below.
Contact us
If you have any specific queries or need further assistance then please contact the insurance office via email insurance@solent.ac.uk
Insurance for placements
Insurers provide cover for businesses’ legal liabilities by issuing:
- Employers liability – This covers employers for negligent injury or disease to people they employ; and
- Public liability – This covers businesses for negligent injury, disease, or damage to people they do not employ, for example, visitors.
Wordings and the requirement for compulsory insurance vary from country to country. It is very important that you check that your placement provider has adequate liability insurance in place to cover you whilst on your placement. For guidance on liability insurance for UK and overseas placements, please refer to the link below:
Liability insurance for UK placements
Within the UK it is compulsory to hold employers liability (EL) insurance unless the company has fewer than five employees. This is not the case in all countries and in some instances the insurance cover may in fact be wider to include personal accident insurance, for example.
While you are on placement you are considered to be an ‘employee’ of the company, irrespective of whether the work is paid or unpaid. If you are undertaking a placement which is not at the University, then your placement provider (employer) is responsible for providing liability insurance - not the University.
The placement provider may also hold public liability insurance which indemnifies the company against claims made by any visitors or customers.
Liability insurance for overseas placements
If you decide to undertake a work placement abroad, you need to check if the placement provider has insurance in place to protect you whilst on placement. Some countries do not require businesses to have this insurance, or may have similar insurance schemes in place which have different names and/or do not provide the same level of liability cover.
If your work placement provider does not have the necessary liability cover in place, speak to your placement tutor or the insurance office (insurance@solent.ac.uk) for further guidance. This does not mean that you cannot accept your placement, but you and your tutor will need to consider the risks associated with your placement where employers liability or the country’s equivalent is not in place.
Travel and emergency medical insurance for overseas placements
The University’s travel insurance policy provides comprehensive travel and emergency medical assistance for students undertaking overseas placements of up to one year. You must notify the insurance office in advance if your placement is longer than six months in duration (insurance@solent.ac.uk).
For work placements in excess of one year, you will need to purchase your own independent cover.
International trips
Student travel should be organised and booked by the school/service as a group booking and not individually by the students. In addition, the relevant offsite activity forms must be completed and approved in advance; this is prior to any bookings being made or purchase orders being raised.
For overseas placements, the University’s travel insurance will provide travel and medical cover for students on placements of up to one year; though placements of over six months must be notified in advance to the insurance office. Students on placements in excess of one year should purchase their own independent cover.
Key insurance documents to take with you:
- Travel insurance certificate - provides a summary of Solent University's travel insurance policy.
- European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) - If you are undertaking a placement in the EU you will need to take a valid EHIC card with you. To apply for an EHIC card, please click here.
Travel insurance for placements: Am I covered?
If your placement involves high-risk activities, or if you will be taking holiday elsewhere or staying in the country beyond the length of your placement, then you may need to purchase your own insurance.
If you are seeking to gain work experience that is not formally part of your course then you will not be covered by the University’s travel insurance and you should arrange your own emergency medical cover.
Detailed travel information and security advice for countries worldwide can be accessed via the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) website and the travel apps which are provided free of charge under the University’s travel insurance policy. You must consult the FCO and the appropriate travel app prior to applying for your placement, and once again before you depart.
If the FCO and/or the travel app advises against travel to the area of your placement then Insurance will not be in place. It will not be possible to guarantee your safety or ensure that you can be evacuated in the event of an emergency. Where the FCO has advised against travel, your placement will not be supported by the University and you must reconsider the location of your placement.
If your placement is in an area where the FCO has raised concerns but not advised against travel, then you must include this information in the risk profile section of the placement app and this must be approved by your placement tutor.
For any queries relating to travel insurance for your placement, please contact the insurance office at insurance@solent.ac.uk
Public liability claims
Public liability (PL) covers third parties, such as students, members of the public, and visitors, for damage to person or property as a result of negligence on the part of the University. Our own employees are not covered as they are covered under the employers' liability policy.
The PL policy indemnifies the University for compensation awarded for injury or damage to third parties due to proven negligence in our business operation. However, any fines or punitive damages laid down following a criminal or HSE prosecution would not be covered - it is not possible to obtain insurance cover for fines or penalties.
All liability claims are managed via the insurance office and handled by the University's insurer. Correspondence from a claimant's legal representatives should never be responded to directly and must be forwarded to the insurance office immediately.
If you have reason to believe that a claim may be made in the future against the University, please inform the insurance office at insurance@solent.ac.uk as soon as possible.
Property insurance
Solent University cannot accept responsibility for staff and student possessions whether stolen, lost or damaged on University premises.
The University campus requires open access for staff and students. This means that despite good security measures being in place, other people are also able to gain easy access to the campus.
All staff and students should avoid bringing valuables onto the campus. Staff and students should keep their personal possessions close to them at all times, and should not leave them unattended.
When you leave a room please ensure that your possessions are locked away, even if you are only going to be gone for a few minutes, or if others are still in the room when you leave it.
Where property is stolen as a result of forced entry or exit then reimbursement may be considered dependant on the circumstances, although an official Insurance claim is unlikely to be made.
Further information
Staff and student possessions factsheet
Temporary removal of Solent University equipment - non-marine