UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH

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1 UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH INSURANCE RENEWAL AND CLAIMS PROCEDURES The University of Greenwich maintains a comprehensive portfolio of insurance policies designed to mitigate the risks inherent in the operations of the University. Insurance is an effective control against risk but does not by itself act as a substitute for the proper, timely, appropriate and effective management of risk. The University s insurance activities are led by: John Wallace, Director of Governance and Compliance, acting as the Insurance Manager tel: +44 (0) ; Trudy Brighton, Senior Executive Officer (University Court), for claims management tel: +44 (0) Heather McAvoy-Marshall, Senior Executive Officer (NRI) for NRI travel insurance management tel: +44 (0) Contact for all insurance matters is insurance@gre.ac.uk. Brokers are engaged by the University to provide advice to officers and to negotiate renewal terms directly with insurers. The University s brokers are Aon UK Limited, who negotiate insurance cover collectively on behalf of a consortium of higher education providers, the Universities and Colleges Buying Group (UCBG), of which the University of Greenwich is a member. For terrorism cover, the University is a member of U M Association Ltd (UMAL) for cover against property and business interruption terrorism risks. UMAL is a discretionary Mutual Association owned by over 150 Higher Education and Further Education Institutions. It was formed to provide an alternative to traditional insurance. By self-managing the pool created by retaining funds in respect of such claims, the Members have gained control of costs, pricing and the cover provided. Traditional insurance is purchased in the general insurance market by the Association for catastrophe claims. No claims from the University of Greenwich, or any other member, have been made during the year ended 31 st July 2015 in respect of terrorism risks. RENEWAL PROCESS 1. The University insurance year runs from 1 st August to 31 st July. Insurances are renewed annually. 2. The insurance renewal process is conducted with advice from and through the University s brokers. 3. A pre-renewal meeting is held between January and March each year with members of UCBG and Aon to determine the strategy for the renewal period, and identify at an early stage any issues that may arise during the renewal process (such as large claims, or requirements for new cover). 4. Brokers provide the University insurance team with an insurance renewal questionnaire. The questionnaire requires details of buildings, contents including computers, staffing levels, student numbers, major activities and events, travel patterns, motor fleet, major works. 5. The insurance team distribute the renewal questionnaire to relevant Professional Services officers to provide information and return to brokers. Returns are normally provided within six weeks of the issue of the questionnaire. 1

2 6. Buildings valuations are updated annually by independent external surveyors, commissioned through the Estates & Facilities Directorate. 7. UMAL s renewal questionnaire is completed with the same buildings valuations plus valuations for computer equipment by building. The relevant Professional Services directorate provides an updated valuation annually. 8. Brokers provide the University with renewal terms by the end of May each year. 9. Members of the University Insurance team attend a second pre-renewal meeting with brokers at their national headquarters and other members of UCBG in June to review the insurance programme and agree a renewal strategy for the following year s insurance. 10. A final renewal meeting takes place in July with brokers from Aon s regional office to review in detail the insurance portfolio for the University for the coming year. INSURANCE POLICIES 1) The following policies are negotiated by brokers on the University s behalf in conjunction with the UCBG consortium: a) Property Damage / Business Interruption b) Employer s and Public & Products Liability c) Motor d) Computer e) Excess Public / Products Liability ( 10m / 15m) f) Engineering Insurance & Inspection g) Contractors Plant 2) The following policies are negotiated by brokers on the University s behalf outside the UCBG consortium: a) Excess Layer Public / Products Liability ( 5m / 25m) b) Personal Accident Travel / Assault c) Professional Indemnity / Executive Liability d) Crime e) Camera All risks 3) Terrorism insurance cover is provided through UM Association Ltd, a mutual for cover against property and business interruption terrorism risks. UMAL is a discretionary Mutual Association owned by over 150 Higher Education and Further Education Institutions. Traditional insurance is purchased in the general insurance market by the Association for catastrophe claims. 4) Summaries of all university policies are posted on the university portal insurance pages for reference by staff and students. 5) The Financial Regulations require faculties and directorates to notify the Insurance Team of the following: All forthcoming plans or events which involve significant risk to the University Immediate notification of the purchase or disposal of any vehicle, or vehicles hired by the University Purchase of contents or groups of contents valued in excess of 100k Incidents, situations and possibilities which could give rise to a claim All claims must be notified to the Insurance Team in accordance with claim procedures 2

3 University Property 6) For the purposes of insurance, University Property comprises: all buildings all equipment, including computers all motor vehicles any equipment on loan or hire to or from the University Reporting Property Related Losses 7) The loss, suspected loss, or damage to University property must be reported as soon as possible to the insurance team via Where required by insurers a claim form will be sent to the claimant for return to the insurance team, who will check and endorse the claim for submission to insurers in accordance with the procedures set out in the claims manual provided by brokers. In the event of a theft the police should be informed and a crime reference number obtained. If the theft or loss has occurred away from University premises evidence of travel should be provided, together with an itinerary to provide evidence that the trip was business related. Receipts should be provided where possible. Other Claims 8) The University also has stringent responsibilities for reporting potential public liability and professional indemnity claims. Should any circumstances arise which may possibly give rise to a claim under either of these policies you must notify the insurance team immediately. Failure to do so could result in any subsequent claims being disallowed. To ensure that the policies respond and that losses are minimised timely reporting of claims or circumstances which may lead to a claim is crucial. Vehicle Damage 9) If a University vehicle (this includes vehicles on hire or loan) is involved in an accident a report must be reported to the Insurance Team even if there is only damage to a third party vehicle. 10) Note that the University's Motor Vehicle Insurance Policy also covers any vehicle owned by or in the control of an employee while the vehicle is being used in connection with the University s business and with the University s consent. This insurance cover includes personal effects. In the event of a loss, the employee should first claim against his/ her own insurance policy; if this is unsuccessful the University s policy will respond. 11) Any third party correspondence must be forwarded to the Insurance Team. Personal Property 12) Any loss of personal property on campus should be claimed under the individual's personal insurance policy. The University's insurance cover for staff personal property only applies where it can be proven that the property subject to the claim was being used for University purposes. 3

4 Given the difficulties in establishing such a claim it is advisable that the acceptability of any claim relating to loss or damage of such property be confirmed prior to its use. 13) Personal property lost or stolen while travelling on University business is covered under the University s travel insurance policy (subject to terms & conditions). See below for 14) Motor vehicles owned by or in the control of an employee, and personal effects in these vehicles, are insured while the vehicle is being used in connection with the University s business and with the University s consent. Refer to 16.7 for the procedure in the event of an accident. International Travel Insurance General 15) The University operates a comprehensive business travel insurance policy for its staff and students when they are away on University business. This includes students on work experience or exchange students from Greenwich studying at another university. Exchange students coming to Greenwich from elsewhere need to arrange their own travel and medical insurance cover. Scope of cover 16) Staff and students are eligible for travel insurance while on any trip on University business which involves: an overnight stay, or air travel when the trip is within the UK, or is of any duration elsewhere, normally up to a maximum of 12 months. This includes: administrative trips for staff field trips for both staff and students 17) Day field trips or site visits in the UK which do not include overnight stays are not covered under the travel policy (unless they involve air travel). Advice against travel 18) Where the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has recommended that travellers should not journey to a country, the travel insurance will not be valid. If the advice against travel relates to parts of a country only, cover will be in force for the areas not included in the FCO advice against travel. Pre-Existing Conditions 19) The policy covers pre-existing medical conditions for the insured travellers only. However, the policy will NOT provide cover where the traveller is travelling contrary to medical advice. Private Travel 20) A limited amount of incidental personal holiday travel is covered under the policy generally lasting no more than 50% of the total duration of a business trip. 4

5 21) Staff and students who travel/return to their country of domicile are covered under the policy, with the exclusion of medical expenses only, for the duration of their stay. How to Arrange Cover 22) The travel insurance database, accessed via the university portal, should be completed for all journeys eligible for travel insurance cover. Only staff have access to the database and student journeys should be entered on their behalf by a member of staff. The database web page provides further information about policy benefits, terms of cover and a link to the FCO website. A travel insurance cover note is available to download from the database web page. Some countries require non-eu citizens i to provide evidence that they are covered by travel insurance including repatriation costs. A personalised cover note can be provided by contacting the insurance team at insurance@gre.ac.uk. i Insurance Renewal and Claims Procedures Auth: John Wallace Version 1.0 March