CoronavirusMay 12 2020

Support services provide balm amid coronavirus crisis

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Support services provide balm amid coronavirus crisis

While thousands of people suffer from the effects of the new coronavirus in the UK, there are millions more balancing working from home, caring for elderly or vulnerable relatives, running their households or looking after children.

Others are completely alone, with family members hundreds of miles away – perhaps even in another country.

The stress, the busyness and the enforced isolation can wreak havoc on people’s mental and physical wellbeing. 

Not for nothing have celebrities such as Joe Wicks created free online workouts to help people keep in shape in their front rooms, giving them a break from the computer and giving them some structured exercise. 

Even the government has allowed what is becoming known as our ‘state-mandated hour of exercise outside’.

These things are important to maintain a sense of normalcy, get people out of their enclosed spaces for some fresh air, and get people away from their screens.

Key Points

  • Many people may be struggling with isolation or family pressures
  • Insurers offer support services
  • If a policyholder dies due to Covid-19, the insurance company should pay out

But this is not enough – and this is where advisers can help encourage their clients to do more to look after their physical and mental wellbeing.

There are millions of insurance policies in the UK, both individual and workplace, and while these are primarily intended to give a financial benefit on death, illness or accident, they come with a host of additional services that can be invaluable in these trying times. 

Policies give people access to qualified nurses through services such as RedArc, provide online mental health counselling and physiotherapy services, encourage wellbeing and fitness through rewards and incentives, and offer online GP access, 24-7, through services such as Doctor@Hand (available from Axa).

Tom Conner, director at Drewberry Insurance, said the company has compiled a list on its website of all the additional support services on offer across the different policies their clients hold, to “alleviate strain on the NHS at this time”. 

Indeed, making the most of the various insurers’ online GP access will help people get doctors’ diagnosis and advice on any non-coronavirus related issues, so people do not have to go to A&E.

And it is not just individual protection policies offering such benefits; the group risk cover in place across thousands of UK employers also offer similar benefits to staff.

With millions of working adults now mandated to operate from home, other staff put on furlough or even taking extended, unpaid leave, good employers are doing what they can to support their staff.

True, some – such as the boss of a well-known pub chain – have been taken to task publicly over staff pay arrangements, but most are doing what they can to keep, motivate and encourage their staff.

And, according to workplace insurance trade body Group Risk Development, nearly 2.5m employees in the UK are covered by schemes that will provide financial support if they are unable to work through illness, while 9.5m are covered by schemes that pay out a lump sum death-in-service benefit.

But more people will be able to benefit from the support services, phone lines, wellness schemes and online healthcare consultancy that is available.

Katharine Moxham, chief executive of Grid, said: “Emotional and financial support is needed on an unprecedented scale right now, and it will be group risk benefits that employers will look to provide it.

“I’m very proud of how our industry steps up to the mark during times of need. 

“Each employer’s arrangements will be specific to them, so it’s important they understand what’s covered within their own schemes, to make sure they’re getting all the support available for those dealing with the effects of Covid-19.

“If they haven’t already engaged with their advisers, now is the time.”

Wellbeing initiatives

In addition to access to doctors, consultants, nurses and counsellors, many policies now offer wellness and wellbeing initiatives, particularly in the group insurance space. 

But while gym membership or dental coverage is worthwhile in normal times, we are not in normal times – and the gyms are on lockdown.

That is why Vitality decided to create Vitality at Home – a range of wellbeing initiatives to help policyholders keep healthy both physically and mentally. 

The service, which launched at the end of March, provides free access to home workouts on both Peloton and Jessica Ennis-Hill’s app Jennis, with members able to earn points automatically when they workout.

Vitality At Home is also offering up to 50 per cent on selected Garmin and Polar devices to help members track their workouts, while its active reward facility allows members to get up to two free movies on demand at home each week for being active and racking up points. 

Moreover, it has boosted the discount available on Waitrose’s Good Health range to 25 per cent off.

Neville Koopowitz, chief executive of Vitality, says: “During these exceptionally testing times, where people are trying to get to grips with remote working – many for the first time ever – while also possibly juggling family and home-schooling, it would be all too easy to let health and wellbeing slip.

“In launching Vitality At Home, we wanted to ensure our members receive all the support they need to adjust to this new life and working.”

FAQs

Advisers have also found many clients have been using helplines to ask very similar questions, such as whether their life insurance policies will pay out on coronavirus-related deaths, or whether they will be able to get insurance in the future if they have had Covid-19.

To help answer these, Finder has created an online resource collating a host of answers, available on its website. 

Katia Iervasi, insurance writer at Finder.com, says: “During a global health crisis like the coronavirus, it’s natural to think about financial planning and how you can protect yourself and your family. Fortunately, the guidelines about life insurance are pretty clear cut. 

“Unlike travel insurance, there isn’t a ‘pandemic’ exclusion for life insurance.

“In plain English, this means that if you already have a policy and continue paying your premiums on time, your loved ones will get a payout if you die from the coronavirus.”

Unum has also created a Covid-19 support service for advisers to use themselves, as well as with policyholders.The resources range from revised claims process, to webinars on home-working, and mental and physical wellbeing support. 

They include virtual workshops, Q&As for brokers and their employer clients, and access to Unum’s Help@Hand service. 

Peter O’Donnell, chief executive of Unum UK, says: “We want to help businesses through this very difficult time by providing dedicated resources and up-to-the-minute advice to our clients and brokers.

“We’ve already seen a fantastic response to our health and wellbeing support and timely updates and we intend to continue providing all the support we can.”

However, clients wanting to buy a life insurance policy might have to wait, Ms Iervasi warns, as many insurers have been inundated while staff work from home, so they have imposed a waiting period for applications. 

Moreover, some insurers have been warning of a wait of more than a month if the applicant has pre-existing conditions, or who may have travelled earlier this year to countries hit hardest by Covid-19, or perhaps has recently been repatriated to the UK. 

But while there might be a wait for new applicants, the use of free services – whether nursing support, online GP access, healthcare tips and wellbeing initiatives – will be a boon for those in lockdown at the moment.

Simoney Kyriakou is editor of Financial Adviser