Legal & General has added RedArc support services to all new Critical Illness policies that are sold through intermediaries. The support, which will be known as the Legal & General Nurse Support Service, will enable policyholders to benefit from practical advice and emotional support delivered by a team of qualified nurses, when patients are diagnosed with a serious physical illness. It will also extend to support for mental health conditions, trauma and bereavement as well as eldercare and carer support for the policyholder and their close family members.
An initial three year contract has been agreed between the two parties and RedArc anticipates that around half of cases will be cancer referrals, ten per cent for cardiac and a similar proportion for mental health support and stroke. The support will be activated at the point of claim or at other times during the life of the policy.
In providing this added-value service, Legal & General is recognising that during difficult times, financial support alone is not enough.
Christine Husbands, managing director, RedArc says: “When an individual receives the diagnosis of a serious illness, changes in family and working life are inevitable and this can take its toll on partners and children as well as the patient themselves. Having a medically trained expert on hand can be hugely valuable in becoming accustomed to the new norm from both a practical and emotional point of view. It’s also important that this support is made available over the long term because many people who are diagnosed with a physical condition often find they also develop mental health issues too but this is not usually evident immediately.”
To promote the product, Legal & General has created new videos and product animations to help advisers understand how the new service will benefit policyholders.
Emma Davies, Propositions Development Manager, L&G said: “We acknowledge that the financial safety net provided by protection insurance is hugely beneficial but that it needs to be enhanced with additional services in order to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of our customers at the point of diagnosis and during other difficult times.
“We selected RedArc because we were well aware of the company’s track record in delivering this type of customer support and we believe them to be an ideal fit with the way we want to offer critical illness insurance to our customers in the future. We’ve chosen to offer policyholders an extremely comprehensive package from RedArc because we know that when someone is diagnosed they will not only be concerned about themselves but also about other dependent family members too.”
There are six pillars of support available to L&G policyholders for:
- Serious illness – support on diagnosis of a serious physical illness
- Mental illness – support with mental health conditions from chronic depressions, stress through to bipolar, schizophrenia and psychosis
- Second medical opinion – access to over 20,000 consultants for a second medical opinion, and guidance before and after the consultation
- Help at home – support after a hospital stay including bespoke recovery plans and practical help
- Eldercare support – advice and guidance if the policyholder is caring for an elderly relative, including medical advice as well as support in understanding care funding and state benefits
- Carer support – support for those caring for a loved one with a long term health condition or disability which includes wellbeing support for the carer themselves
The service will be tailored to the needs of each individual and will often be a combination of the above areas.
The dedicated RedArc nurse will then determine the best possible course of action through the service model, comprising:
- long-term practical and emotional support
- help in understanding the condition, medical terms and its implications
- explanation of options for treatment
- preparation for medical appointments and support in navigating NHS services
- research and sign-posting employees to specialist charities and self-help groups
- suggesting coping mechanisms
- helping employees make decisions about work, including discussing return-to-work options with their employer
- clinical review and provision of a range of resources, including factsheets, books, CDs and DVDs
- arranging an assessed course of therapy or counselling
- sourcing equipment & medical aids
The support will be available for as long as the patient believes it to be beneficial.