Employees covered by Norwich Union’s Healthcare’s Group Income Protection policy now have access to GP and stress-counselling helplines as part of the company’s commitment to support effective absence management.
Employees covered by Norwich Union’s Healthcare’s Group Income Protection policy now have access to GP and stress- counselling helplines as part of the company’s commitment to support effective absence management.
The two confidential helplines operate 24-hours-a-day, 365- days-a-year, giving employees a valuable source of advice, and helping employers to take a more proactive approach to looking after their workforce.
The GP Helpline – which provides round-the-clock access to advice direct from a GP – has been available to Norwich Union Healthcare’s private medical insurance customers since 1999.
It provides two key services. If someone becomes ill, they can speak to a friendly and sympathetic General Practitioner who will give them a relaxed and unhurried consultation over the phone.
Or if general healthcare information is required, trained nurses are available to provide it.
The Stress Counselling Helpline aims to help alleviate the problems caused by work-related stress – now estimated to affect about one in five workers* and resulting in the loss of approximately 6.7million working days each year in Britain.**
Nick Homer of Norwich Union Healthcare said: “Many absence management solutions fail to address employee welfare issues, concentrating instead on the financial reassurance a group income protection policy can give an employer.
“But given the pressures of today’s working environment we believe it is essential to provide an incapacitated employee with as much support as possible.
“By introducing these helplines to our Group Income Protection policy we believe intermediaries’ clients will be better placed to address the issue of absenteeism – and intermediaries will be in a better position to realise the full potential of this market.”
The GP Helpline helps minimise time spent away from the office by enabling someone who feels unwell at work to call for advice or a consultation from their office. This can avoid the need for them to visit their own doctor, and encourage prevention rather than cure in many instances.
Providing people with access to trained counsellors who can provide counselling, advice and information on how to manage and overcome stress, may help prevent a problem developing into a major issue that leads to long-term absence.
All new business Unit Rated Group Income Protection customers will automatically receive these additional benefits free of charge. Any existing Unit Rated Group Income Protection schemes will receive these helplines at the start of their next premium review date.***
* statistics from CBI Report 2002
** Health and Safety Executive press release E206:00
*** Premiums are reviewed every two years
For more information on Norwich Union Healthcare’s improved Group Income Protection Policy, and for agency and commission terms and applications, intermediaries can contact their usual Healthcare sales consultant or call: 02380 372277
Press contact:
Louise Zucchi at Norwich Union on 08703 666860/07860 203466
Notes to editors
- Norwich Union Healthcare is the healthcare arm of Norwich Union and provides a range of private medical insurance and income protection products to around 750,000 customers. It is one of the largest providers of income protection and private medical insurance in the UK.
- Norwich Union is the UK’s largest insurer offering a comprehensive range of long-term savings and general insurance products.
- Norwich Union’s news releases are available on the Aviva plc website at www.aviva.com
- A selection of images is available from the Norwich Union Newscast site at www.newscast.co.uk
- An ISDN facility is available for studio quality interviews. Call the press office on 08703 66 68 73
For all life and pension media enquiries 08703 66 68 73
For all other media enquiries 08703 66 68 68
Norwich Union Life Services Limited represents only the Norwich Union Marketing Group, members of which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, for life assurance, pensions and investments. Members of the Aviva group