Date posted:
Fri 16 October 2020
Liverpool based cash plan provider Medicash is delighted to announce that it now covers over 300,000 policyholders across the UK despite the challenges of the current coronavirus pandemic.
With the issues caused by lockdown, many employers are recognising the need to invest in the health and mental wellbeing of their employees with 67% of all new business written between April and September coming from companies who previously had no cash plan in place.
Between April and September 2020 Medicash has also seen an increased demand for its Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), with a 36% increase in the number of policies including this benefit compared to the same period in 2019.
Medicash’s EAP offers vital mental and emotional support at a time when many are feeling pressure from the uncertainty caused by the current pandemic including worries over job security, the economy, dealing with childcare, isolation and working from home.
The EAP service not only offers 24/7 access to trained counsellors, as well as up to 8 sessions of face-to-face (or remote) counselling per issue, it also includes access to Woebot - an AI Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based app. Through this app users can track their mood, identify patterns, and gain insight into issues or concerns that they may not have realised were causing them emotional distress. Woebot can also instantly connect the user to a trained human counsellor when it is identified that additional support is required.
Medicash understands the struggles and pressures that most employers and employees have been feeling over the last six months and has actively worked to launch new benefits to market earlier than originally planned.
This included the launch of the launch of SkinVision, a skin cancer screening app that allows users to assess their skin spots and moles for the most common causes of skin cancer via their smartphone and receive a risk indication within 30 seconds. Medicash is the only UK health insurer to include this benefit in its corporate health plans.
Medicash also launched its mProve YOURSELF app containing a wide range of wellbeing tools and advice to help users improve their body and mind. The app allows users to access a 30-day beginners guide to a mindful life course; a range of guided meditations and breathing exercises; over 70 fitness and resistance training videos; and a range of mental wellbeing courses with information on how to cope with stress, depression, anxiety and looking after your own mental health. Both new services have been introduced at no additional cost to policyholders.
Medicash also recently enhanced its Virtual GP services.
Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash said: “Few firms would have disagreed that their employees’ health and wellbeing matters – or that the issue was rising up their agenda. The current environment has accelerated this change and firms are investing in their staff. It’s so encouraging that businesses are seeing that caring for the health and wellbeing of their staff helps to boost company performance and make it a better place to work.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone at Medicash whose focus is on providing relevant products at a fair price with great customer service. We value our customers as we know that there is plenty of competition out there for them to choose from. To have doubled our policyholder numbers over seven years is testament to the skills and dedication of our staff. But we won’t be complacent and will continue to push to be better.”