# Insurance for inpatient hospices, hospice volunteer services and palliative care in Germany

> Inpatient hospices in Germany care for people in their last days; hospice volunteer services do the same at home, often with dozens of volunteers. Mistakes weigh especially heavily here: a fall, a wrong dose of pain medication, a dispute with relatives. Many hospices are run by registered associations whose board members can be personally liable. This page shows what hospices and palliative care providers should insure and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-hospice-and-palliative-care.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Are our volunteers insured if they damage something during a visit?

Their own accidents are covered by statutory accident insurance. Damage volunteers cause to others is covered by the hospice's public liability policy, provided volunteers are explicitly included. Have that written into the policy, also for visits in private homes and care homes.

## At a glance

- **Funding:** In an inpatient hospice the statutory health insurer pays 95 percent of the eligible costs, with long term care benefits counted towards it (§ 39a (1) SGB V)
- **Volunteers:** People working unpaid, in particular as volunteers, in health care or welfare are covered by statutory accident insurance (§ 2 (1) no. 9 SGB VII)
- **Biggest risk:** Injury to very ill guests: falls, positioning, errors with pain medication
- **Basic cover from:** about €300 a year for the liability policy of a small hospice volunteer service (guide price from our quoting practice)
- **Often forgotten:** Personal liability of the association's board if grants are misused or deadlines missed

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Falls and positioning:** Weak guests, transfers between bed and chair, repositioning against pressure sores: mistakes quickly lead to injuries.
- **Pain medication:** Opioids, pumps and exact doses are part of daily work. A mix up has serious consequences.
- **Volunteers in other homes:** Volunteers visit private homes, care homes and hospitals. Things get broken or a key goes missing.
- **Association and board:** Many hospices belong to associations. The board is liable for errors with grants, taxes and contracts.
- **Building and equipment:** Care beds, hoists, kitchen and building services: a fire or water damage hits a house whose guests cannot easily move.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 3, Theft 2, Cyber 3, Downtime 2, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage from care and companionship, including volunteers, lost keys and damage in other people's homes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **D&O insurance** (Strongly advised): Protects the board of a hospice association if it is held personally liable for management errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces care beds, hoists, furniture and kitchen after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Strongly advised): If the provider owns the building: rebuilding after fire, storm and water damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Helps after attacks on care records and billing, and with reporting duties for health data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Adds fixed sums for disability to the statutory cover of staff and volunteers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on the number of beds, staff and volunteers and on the value of building and contents. Volunteer services without their own house pay much less.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Hospice volunteer service with 40 volunteers and two coordinators | about €300 to €800 a year |
| Business liability | Inpatient hospice with ten beds and a care team | about €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| D&O insurance | Hospice association, €1 million cover for the board | about €400 to €1,000 a year |
| Business contents | Contents of a ten bed house, €400,000 | about €700 to €1,600 a year |

For comparison: Liability cover for a hospice volunteer service costs about as much a year as a training weekend for two volunteers.

_Guide prices from our quoting practice, as of October 2026. There are hardly any published tariff examples for hospices; the sources below support the legal statements. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Gesetze im Internet: § 39a SGB V, hospice care](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_5/__39a.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 2 SGB VII, compulsory accident insurance](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Volunteer service** (hospice association with volunteers and no house of its own): Business liability, D&O insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: about €1,200 to €3,000 a year
- **Inpatient** (hospice with its own building, care team and volunteers): Business liability, D&O insurance, Business contents, Commercial buildings, Cyber insurance. Together: about €5,000 to €12,000 a year
- **Full cover** (provider with hospice, home service and extra cover for people): Business liability, D&O insurance, Business contents, Commercial buildings, Cyber insurance, Group accident insurance. Together: about €7,000 to €16,000 a year

## The worst day in a hospice

Five things that really happen in hospices and volunteer services, all on a single Thursday here. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 07:20: While being repositioned, a guest slips out of bed and breaks a shoulder. (€20,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:00: A volunteer knocks a television off a cabinet in a family's living room. (€1,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:30: Care records are encrypted; medication plans cannot be opened. (€14,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 15:10: A dishwasher hose bursts and floods the kitchen and dining room. (€18,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 18:00: A funder reclaims a grant and demands it from the board personally. (€30,000, Paid by: D&O insurance)

**Damage so far:** €83,200

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have volunteers explicitly included in public liability, also for visits outside the house.
- Name all activities in the policy: care, palliative care, bereavement support, counselling and training.
- Check cover for lost keys and for damage to things in your care, such as guests' aids.
- As an association, take out D&O cover for the board, especially if its members are unpaid.
- Keep complete records of medication, positioning and agreements with relatives.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know charities and associations:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and compares several insurers. We focus on volunteers, board liability and things in your care.
- **We know claims from practice:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. That experience goes into our advice.
- **Advice in English:** House, service, board and vehicles with one contact person. Advice is free of charge; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Must a hospice in Germany have liability insurance?

No law requires it in general. Anyone caring for very ill people should still have it; otherwise the provider pays from its own assets.

### How much does the health insurer pay in an inpatient hospice?

Under § 39a SGB V the statutory health insurer pays 95 percent of the eligible costs, with long term care benefits counted towards it.

### Are hospice volunteers covered by statutory accident insurance?

Yes. People working unpaid, in particular as volunteers, in health care or welfare are covered under § 2 (1) no. 9 SGB VII.

### How much does liability insurance cost for a hospice?

About €300 to €800 a year for volunteer services, about €1,500 to €4,000 for an inpatient hospice with ten beds. These are guide prices from our quoting practice.

### Does the board of a hospice association need its own cover?

D&O cover through the association makes sense, because board members can be personally liable for management errors.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-hospice-and-palliative-care.php#anfrage

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