CV-19 Support for Insurers
The CV-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for insurers, employers and employees. With this in mind, HCB’s Clinical Team have developed two new products specifically designed to support our clients, their employees and claimants through these difficult times, particularly as the nation starts to creep back to the workplace, and new risks and staff anxieties are exposed, and employers wrestle with duty of care in the new normal.
Please select a service
Understanding that the return to work journey post working from home (WFH) can be an anxious one and is not the same for all. We have developed a fully scalable, two-tier service to support individuals and employers every step of the way.
Tier 1
Aimed at those without pre-existing health conditions but who have been working from home restrictions and have voiced some anxiety about returning to their usual work environment. This service has been created to support both the employee and the employer with practical aspects of their return to work (RTW) plan. A service designed to be a simple one-off telephone call whereby an HCB Case Manager listens and works through any concerns. A report is then compiled and sent to the employer.
In addition, HCB offers employers the opportunity to take a proactive approach in supporting their staff back to work.
- Employers provide HCB with a full list of employees who are scheduled to return.
- An HCB Case Manager calls each employee to determine if they have any concerns or issues that they would like to be addressed prior to their return.
- This proactive approach allows the employer to demonstrate their duty of care towards their employees in a very supportive way.
During these calls, if any individual is identified as high
risk, an additional conversation would be held and they would, subject to agreement with the employer, be transitioned into the Tier 2 service.
Tier 2
Aimed at those who have a pre-existing mental health condition or are deemed ‘high risk’ by PHE and have expressed anxiety about their RTW. An HCB Case Manager will carefully ascertain all details from the employee to ensure their needs can be met once back in the workplace. The Case Manager will also work with the employer to ensure they have guidance and support in all areas needed, and that any workplace modification is enabled prior to their return. A detailed report will be produced by the HCB Case Manager. If additional support is required, the employee can, subject to agreement with the employer, be transitioned into HCB’s standard Case Management.
We understand that working from home is challenging for many people, particularly those more accustomed to working in an office environment. We have created this service to enable Employers to support their staff at home by ensuring that all is well and identifying potential issues (including physical or mental health problems) early.
This ‘light-touch’ service has been specifically created to support both staff not only with the practical aspects of working from home, but to supplement the Employers duty of care to employees, and identify and help dismantle any barriers which may be emerging.
Here’s how it works
- HR contact staff and inform them that they will be contacted by a clinical Case Manager from HCB to arrange a convenient time for a short telephone support call.
- Employers provide HCB with a list of email addresses and contact telephone numbers for staff working from home.
- An HCB Case Manager calls each employee to find out how they are and if they have any concerns. A simple one-off telephone call designed to take no longer than 20 minutes.
- The employee would simultaneously receive a copy of our ‘Connected at Home Support Guide’ which has been specifically designed to help employees adjusting to these new routines and environment.
- The Case Manager will annotate a few notes by way of summarising the telephone conversation, which will be reported back to HR.
- If the HCB Case Manager identifies any more complex concerns outside of our Connected at Home Support Guide, the employee can be referred into Case Management, but never without an explicit request from HR to provide additional support.
- The service is provided at a single, low cost fixed price per employee.
Advantages
| EMPLOYER | EMPLOYEE |
| ✓ Empathetic support | ✓ Feels supported and valued |
| ✓ Proactive detection of health issues | ✓ Confidential ‘safe space’ |
| ✓ Optimised staff attendance | ✓ Access to independent and unbiased healthcare professional |
| ✓ Improved Staff Retention | ✓ Timely access to MH support if needed |
| ✓ Observe Duty of Care | ✓ Guidance from HCB Connected at Home Leaflet |
80% of British people working from home now feel lockdown has had a negative impact on their mental health while a quarter of those (25%) said they were finding it difficult to cope with the emotional challenges of isolation.Source: Nuffield Health Report, June 2020
0%
of respondents have increased their organisations’ focus on employee health and wellbeing since Covid-19
0%
increased focus on mental health with EAP and flexible working being most popular
0%
have introduced specific health policies and/or benefits to support employees during the Covid-19 pandemic
0%
who do not have a mental health strategy are currently designing a support strategy or plan to introduce support in the next 12 months.
Source: Healthcare Research 2020
“HCB’s Managing Director, Jim Harris said “Having served the Income Protection Community for 36 years, I understand very well the likely pinch-points for insurers writing policies with short deferred benefits, and am delighted to be able to develop services which not only help insurers process their claims efficiently in times of high volume, but also provide much needed support, advice and signposting guidance to their customers, in uncertain and anxious times.”
Jim Harris, Chairman & Managing Director