Additional Benefits For Full And Standard Members

24-hour legal advice

Members will usually seek Legal Advice in two main areas:

Advice specific to pharmacy law or practice, where the advice of a solicitor may not be the ideal solution. This pharmacy specific advice will be provided by PDA in three ways:

• Via the Question and Answer section of the Advice Centre on this website, which can be accessed 24-hours a day.
• By emailing a request to the PDA using the website links. This facility is used when your Question and its Answer does not already appear in the Advice Centre. A response will be emailed back to you within one working day and will also be added to the Advice Centre archive for the benefit of other members.
• In very urgent situations by calling PDA during office hours on 0121 694 7017

Legal advice of a more general nature:

• This will be provided by lawyers who are available on a 24-hour basis to provide informed legal advice, aided if necessary by IT systems to check points of law in complex cases. The general legal advice can be accessed 24 hours a day on 0121 694 7017.

The relevant telephone numbers can also be found on the PDA membership card.

Personal injury and fatal accidents

Should you sustain bodily injury in any way, whether at work or not (such as a motor accident - unless you are the driver), it may be possible to pursue damages on your behalf against the persons responsible. It may thus be possible to win compensation on your behalf for a variety of things, e.g. physical harm due to an injury at work, any lasting effects, etc. Cover under this section of the policy would enable solicitors to take up such claims on your behalf.

Contract disputes assistance

Legal Assistance is provided in the event that you enter into a contract and then into a contractual dispute where the amount in dispute exceeds £250. Cover is provided if the dispute is over one or more of the following:

• The buying or hiring of any goods or services
• The sale of any personal goods
• The buying or selling of the principal home

Examples include purchase of new carpets which are badly fitted, a stereo system that does not work properly or a foreign holiday that is ruined due to hotel refurbishment and a tour operator refuses to compensate.

Personal taxation disputes

You may be selected by the INLAND REVENUE for an in-depth investigation into your personal tax affairs concerning normal salaried employment.

This section of the policy will provide legal costs and expenses, the accountant's fee and, where applicable, the Revenue's civil costs incurred in any appeal proceedings in respect of a full enquiry or an aspect enquiry by the Inland Revenue. Please note the limit of indemnity in respect of aspect enquiries is £1000.

IMPORTANT - If you are self employed:

Risks associated with self-employment as seen in Locum, Business Consultancy or Primary Care Pharmacy work, for example, are far greater from the Inland Revenue perspective. The standard protection available under this policy does not include problems related to self-employed income. However, should you require additional protection for your self-employed activities, a separate taxation protection policy is available from PIA upon request. Contact the PDA for more details.

Jury service

Should you be called to serve on a jury and your salary is not recoverable from an employer or from the courts, then your salary loss will be indemnified. Such protection does not apply for the first five days of jury service served. Self-employed income is not indemnified.

Tax advice service

A confidential personal taxation service provided by qualified staff is available to all members.

DEFEND YOURSELF:

Click here if you need to use any of the above member services

Remember, as a member you are covered for up to £300,000 of legal and other costs to assist in a wide range of situations.