Long-term conditions emerge as the second biggest area...

Aviva has revealed new insights showing how its Group Income Protection proposition supports employee recovery and return-to-work across a wider range of health conditions, in its latest Group Protection Claims and Wellbeing Insight Report.

For the first time, Aviva’s second biggest area of rehabilitation support^[1] (behind mental health) was for customers with long-term conditions including Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Arthritis, and Long Covid. Aviva’s rehabilitation team supported 489 people with long-term conditions that fell outside of the other pathways, with 76% of people in this cohort returning to work during 2025.

In the past year, Aviva delivered clinical and vocational rehabilitation support to 2,656 employees across 350 UK employers through its Group Income Protection offering.

The support proved highly effective, with 85% of employees who received vocational rehabilitation successfully returning to or remaining in work. Aviva’s condition-specific pathways ensured individuals received timely access to interventions that helped them manage symptoms, aid recovery, and rebuild confidence during their return-to-work journey.

This further reinforces Aviva’s support of the Keep Britain Working Review, with the report demonstrating how early intervention and tailored rehabilitation pathways are delivering strong return-to-work outcomes across a broad range of health conditions.

The claims report showed that women accounted for six in ten rehabilitation cases, highlighting the important role Group Income Protection plays in supporting women’s health and wellbeing in the workplace. Of the new cancer cases receiving Aviva’s support, over three-quarters (77%) were for women.

Mental health continued to be the leading reason for early intervention support, making up 46% of all rehabilitation referrals. Among those who engaged in services such as counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and psychotherapy, 95% of employees that returned to work did so within their policy’s deferred period, underlining the benefits of early access to treatment.

Aviva provided support to 417 cancer patients, the highest number of customers who have accessed rehabilitation services for this condition in a year. Cancer-related referrals accounted for 13% of Aviva’s rehabilitation cases in 2025. Through a holistic Cancer Pathway spanning emotional support, fatigue management, nutritional guidance, and structured return-to-work planning, 83% of cancer survivors either returned to or stayed in work following diagnosis and treatment. Just under a quarter (23%) of cancer patients were aged under 40 – a 90% increase compared to the previous year.

Musculoskeletal conditions represented 7% of cases, with specialist support enabling 95% of those returning to work to do so within the deferred period. Meanwhile, neurological referrals remained at 7% of total new referrals, in line with the previous year, but volumes increased by 25%.

The number of people supported through Aviva’s Neurodiversity Pathway grew by 40%, making up 8% of all referrals in 2025. This pathway offers tailored workplace adjustments, specialist coaching, and manager training.

Daren Boys, Protection Portfolio Distribution Director at Aviva said: “When we talk about long term absence, mental health and musculoskeletal conditions often dominate the conversation.

“For the first time, lesser-known long-term conditions such as fibromyalgia and long-covid have become the second largest proportion of our rehabilitation support offering.

“These conditions are often poorly understood and unpredictable, with symptoms that can vary from day to day. As a result, they require coordinated, multidisciplinary support that encompasses both clinical support and workplace adjustments.

“Through Group Income Protection, we’re able to intervene early and provide tailored clinical and workplace rehabilitation that reflects these personal needs.

“As the Government continues its Keep Britain Working review, our data demonstrates the important role Group Income Protection plays in supporting individuals with a wide range of health conditions, as well as employers looking to build resilient, healthy workforces.”

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^1. _{This is a non-contractual benefit Aviva can change or withdraw at any time. [↑]}

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