Top Free Services That Come With Employee Benefits

Many of the best UK insurers now offer a wealth of additional services alongside their business health insurance, group life insurance, income protection and critical illness propositions.

Not only are these services free to use, employees don’t have to make a claim to access them. They are there to provide added support and help individuals before they get to the point of needing to make a claim.

Each insurer has something different to offer, so we’ve highlighted the six most common services making a real difference to employees right now:

• Virtual GP Service
• Counselling
• Rehabilitation Service
• Probate Support
• Second Medical Opinion

Virtual GP Services

Virtual GP services give employees access to healthcare professionals through either an app, website or helpline.

These services make booking appointments easier than ever and give employees more flexibility when it comes to speaking with a GP.

• Reduced waiting times –  often same day appointments
• Faster consultations and referrals
• Private prescriptions
• Helping employees better manage their health and avoid absences
• Speeding up the diagnosis process and guiding employees through aftercare.

The most popular way to deliver virtual GP services is via an app 📱 that employees will be able to download and easily manage through their phone.

Read our Directors experience using the SmartHealth Virtual GP service we have access to with AIG.

Counselling

Mental health charity Mind, reports that one 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year.

This makes counselling services more valuable than ever. Being able to provide this additional benefit not only makes a real difference to employees but their families too.

• Employees covered by Group Income Protection can use counselling services at any time for new or existing mental health issues.
• Some providers will extend the availability of counselling helplines to family members.
• Under a Group Life policy, the families / loved ones of an employee who passes away, can use grief / bereavement counselling services covered by the insurance provider.

Some insurers offer counselling services over the phone, while others will put you in touch with a face-to-face counsellor and cover the cost of a limited number of counselling or CBT sessions.

These can be a really valuable benefit and one may firms actively pay for on a standalone basis.

Nadeem Farid
Head of Employee Benefits at Drewberry

Rehabilitation Services

To help employees get back to work sooner, or more importantly help to prevent absences in the first place, many Group Income Protection schemes will offer certain rehabilitation services. These can include:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Consultation services.

As a part of consultation services, trained consultants can work with employees and employers to establish ways of managing health conditions without an employee having to take time off work.

If absences do occur, the consultant can help an individual communicate their needs back to their employer making the process of staying in touch less daunting.

Advice Helplines

Most group insurance products will offer access to 24/7 helplines. These can be used as often as needed and can provide a valuable outlet for employees. They can provide:

• Help to complete a claim
• Financial advice
• Basic bereavement or a mental health counselling
• Help and advice relating to family caring responsibilities.

Group Health Insurance policies will often offer basic medical advice or a nurse led helpline which is designed to support employees with general medical queries as well as booking appointments for private treatment.

Probate Support

Losing a loved one is a terrible experience and the grief alone can be overwhelming. However certain legal processes need to be dealt with which often families aren’t prepared for.

For the families of employees covered by a Death in Service policy, probate support is there to take some of the additional stress away.

Usually accompanied by bereavement support, this service will consult and help families though the necessary processes after the death of a loved one. This can include:

• Registering their death
• Arranging a death certificate
• Closing open bank accounts
• Offering practical advice on managing the deceased person’s estate.

Probate support will help families sort through all of the practical issues that come after a loved one’s death.

The service can assist with issues ranging from tax and legal advice to the settlement of outstanding debts, saving families unnecessary stress.

Second Medical Opinion

If an employee is diagnosed with a serious health condition, they may want a second opinion from another medical professional.

Whether it’s providing reassurance that they are on the best course of treatment or to recommend alternatives, Second Medical Opinions can provide additional support and guidance at a stressful and overwhelming time.

To help employees learn about different health conditions and how they are treated, these services also usually offer a range of educational resources.

Getting medical advice from an expert is valuable for employees covered under any type of protection insurance. This is why Second Opinion Services are now offered widely across the UK insurance market.

Many employers purchasing group insurance policies for their employees don’t even consider or know about the additional benefits offered with the policy.

This means that a lot of employees miss out on these valuable services when they’re there for the taking and totally free with your cover.

Nadeem Farid
Head of Employee Benefits Advice at Drewberry

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We all deserve a first class service when it comes to things as important as protecting our health and our finances. Below are just a few reasons why it makes sense to talk to us.

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