Your business is made up of people. And people need medical care to keep them well enough to return to work everyday. Your members are also people. And to maximise the ROI of their premiums, keeping them well is a top priority. But, where the NHS played a vital role in keeping people well previously, the challenges that we face due to GP shortages and budget limitations are making it difficult to help people stay in good health.
If you’ve struggled to get a GP appointment recently, you’ll understand the challenge first-hand. The combination of an ageing population and poor lifestyle has built a demand the NHS cannot supply. Add to that a huge post-pandemic backlog, limitations in public funding and clinician shortages that are speculated to increase to 7000 unfilled roles by 2023 – it’s easy to see why there’s an increase in wait times for GP appointments. A delayed GP appointment can have huge knock-on effects too. From later diagnosis to missing the boat for preventative care, small health issues can quickly escalate into chronic problems.
It’s not just physical health issues either. Mental health problems are on the rise, and for many, combatting or getting support with a mental illness starts with a GP.
Thanks to medical and science evolution human longevity is at an all-time peak. Studies say that 1 in every 3 children born today will live to 100 – but there’s simply not enough provision in the NHS to cope with this increase. Swiss Re in their ‘Long term insurance: Swiss Re Term and Health Watch’ study stated that “consumers will need to provide [healthcare] for themselves as the State withdraws from supporting any but the neediest”.
According to the Chartered Insurance Institute “Consumers believe that there is a focus on price, not value and unless that changes it will continue to be a ‘race to the bottom’, with potentially serious consequences for the future of the industry”.
It is clear insurers need to take significant steps to increase consumer engagement and there is a massive opportunity for insurers to provide relevant added-value services which impact consumers everyday lives in a meaningful way.
Private telephone and online GP services are playing a vital role in managing the crisis. As an insurer, offering a service that empowers members to take control of their own health, using services like these, will play a vital role in keeping people well. Services, like those offered by HealthHero have the power to attract, engage and retain customers, capture invaluable insights and by offering early intervention – and ultimately they have the possibility to support a reduction in claims costs.
HealthHero has been providing 24/7 access to practising NHS GPs for over 20 years. Providing members and their loved ones with access to practising GPs anytime and anywhere, 24 hours a day over the phone or via video consultation. With HealthHero, your members and their loved ones can access practising GPs anytime and anywhere. A 24/7 telephone consultation service provides your members and their beloved ones with the reassurance and support they need, when they need, wherever they are in the world. They can speak with our GPs via telephone, video or send the GP a message.
All our GPs are NHS practising GPs, they have the same qualifications as your own NHS GP. If our GP believes that a member requires further investigation or treatment, they can issue an open private referral letter to private secondary care.
Where necessary GPs can provide private fit notes and private prescriptions where the medication can be delivered to the patient’s home or work address.
As an exclusively B2B service, HealthHero can provide a personalised GP Surgery app, so you can maximise your brand relationship with your members by providing your own company branded 24/7 GP surgery app.
We use leading web technology to enable access to a comprehensive range of private GP services designed to be accessible across any organisation. The GP Surgery app is a tailored cross-device platform providing access to NHS practising doctors on all operating systems and devices. Plus, there is no need for an internet connection to use our service as a phone line is available 24/7!
Do you want to know more about our service and how it can add value to any insurer? Speak with us today for more information.