Whether you're a locum, salaried GP, or partner, understanding your income protection, sick pay, and practice cover can make all the difference — for you, your family, and your practice.
General practice involves high personal income responsibility, significant professional commitments, and often limited safety nets. The right financial protection depends on your role, your circumstances, and your existing arrangements.
If illness or injury stops you working, your income may stop too — especially for locums without employer sick pay.
Locums, salaried GPs, and partners may all have different sick pay, contractual benefits, and financial obligations.
Most GPs have significant financial responsibilities that continue regardless of whether they can work.
Partners may still face business overheads, locum replacement costs, and partnership obligations during periods of absence.
Protecting your personal income is separate from protecting the practice. Both should be reviewed together.
Policies arranged early in your career may no longer match your current income, role, or family situation.
It's a question most GPs prefer not to think about — but understanding the answer is the starting point for good protection planning.
These questions don't have one-size-fits-all answers. The right protection depends on your role, your income structure, your family, your existing benefits, and what matters most to you.
Book a no-obligation protection review with a Wealth Genius adviser and find out what cover you have, where the gaps may be, and what options are available.
Book a reviewOur GP protection guide covers income protection, locum cover, sick pay, and practice protection in detail.
Get the GP protection guideProtection planning for GPs isn't one product — it's a combination of personal and practice-level arrangements that should work together. Here's a plain-English guide to the main areas.
If you're unable to work due to illness or injury, income protection can replace part of your income — typically until you recover, retire, or reach the end of the policy term.
Some GPs may have contractual or employer sick pay — but the amount, duration, and conditions can vary significantly depending on your employment status.
Locum cover is a practice-level arrangement that can help fund a replacement GP if a partner or key clinician is absent due to illness or injury.
GP partners may still face ongoing business costs — rent, staff, utilities, insurance — even if they're unable to work. Protection can sometimes help cover these overheads.
Life cover helps protect your family, mortgage, and financial dependants if you die. It may also be relevant for GP practices where business continuity is needed.
Pays a tax-free lump sum if you're diagnosed with a specified serious illness covered by the policy — such as certain cancers, heart attacks, or strokes.
GP partners may need to consider what happens to the practice if a partner dies or becomes seriously ill. The practice may need funding to manage ownership changes, buy out a partner's share, or ensure business continuity.
Partnership agreements should ideally align with financial protection arrangements. Legal advice and financial advice may both be required to ensure the right structures are in place. This is an area where early planning can prevent significant difficulties later.
Different GP roles create different financial exposures. This table is a general starting point — the right protection always depends on individual circumstances.
| GP Role | Main Risk | Sick Pay / Income Issue | Protection Areas to Review | Why Advice Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP Locum | No work, no income | Typically limited or no employer sick pay | Income protection, life cover, critical illness | High personal exposure; cover must match variable income |
| Salaried GP | Income drop after sick pay ends | May have employer sick pay, but limited duration | Income protection (gap cover), life cover, critical illness | Existing benefits may not be enough; should be reviewed |
| GP Partner | Personal income loss and practice obligations | Drawings may reduce; practice costs continue | Income protection, locum cover, practice expenses, partnership protection | Dual exposure — personal and business needs must align |
| GP Practice | Clinical capacity, financial disruption | May need to fund locum cover or redistribute work | Locum cover, keyman cover, partnership/shareholder protection | Partnership agreements and cover should be reviewed together |
These are the issues we see most often. None are unusual — but all are worth reviewing.
Assuming NHS or employer sick pay will be enough to cover all expenses long-term
Not reviewing cover after becoming a partner, going locum, or starting a family
Confusing income protection with critical illness cover — they serve different purposes
Having cover based on old income levels that no longer reflect current earnings
Forgetting about practice expenses or locum replacement costs as a partner
Not checking deferred periods or policy definitions — especially “own occupation”
Letting policies become outdated without regular review
Only thinking about protection after a health issue has already arisen
We aim to be a long-term financial partner — not a one-off transaction. Our process is
designed to be thorough, clear, and tailored to your circumstances.
We start by understanding your GP role, income structure, and career stage.
We look at your existing cover, benefits, and any employer or NHS entitlements.
We map out your personal, family, and practice-level risks clearly.
We explain what's available in plain English — no jargon, no pressure.
We only recommend cover where it's suitable and affordable for you.
As your career and life change, we review and adjust your planning.
Protection planning is just one part of a broader financial picture. Wealth Genius supports GPs through career changes, partnership, family life, pensions, mortgages, investments, and retirement planning — helping you build a financial plan that evolves as your life does.
We understand the realities of general practice. We know that your career rarely follows a straight line, that your income structure may change, and that your responsibilities — both clinical and financial — are significant. That’s why we focus on building lasting relationships with the GPs we work with.
Specialist support for GP locum insurance and practice-level cover, helping practices think about continuity if a GP or key team member is unable to work.
Specialist Chartered Surveyors for GP premises, including notional rent reviews, lease renewals, valuations and premises advice.
