“The challenge for us is to try to understand these nuances and continually refine our approach to deliver the best experience for the person and underwriting outcomes.”
Learning from experience is essential.
“In one of our most recent updates we analysed historical responses to our mental health questions and made some changes,” adds Mr Downes.
“This in turn significantly improved the percentage of automated acceptances for those customers with a mental health condition, meaning the vast majority of people are now receiving automated decisions.”
Added value support services
Once a policy is in force, the industry - insurers and advisers - need to get better at keeping in touch with customers, says Steve Casey, marketing director at Square Health.
“Lots of providers now give access to mental health support once the policy is in force. For example, British Friendly offers psychiatric support to its IP customers, as does Exeter Friendly for its IP and PMI portfolio,” adds Casey.
“Our tech, for example, allows push notifications via an app to help remind customers about the policy and the added value services available. Such reminders are important to help ensure usage.”
This more holistic and preventative approach to mental health for people who have insurance is certainly becoming more prevalent.
Mr Downes adds: “At Vitality, we’re able to offer discounted access to a range of apps to support mental wellbeing such as Headspace and Calm to all our members.”
Data shows that apps like these are being used to help prevent issues occurring in the first place.
For example, data presented by Vitality at a recent industry event revealed that 70 per cent of people who use Vitality Healthy Mind show no risk on their Vitality Age: a tool to help individuals understand more about their overall health. In other words, they are using the apps whilst healthy in order to prevent problems in future.
Team effort
In the workplace context, companies are getting better are seeing how mental health awareness fits into the bigger picture. The provision of tools and support represents only part of that picture though.
The key is to link these things with understanding by the employer and employee of stress and anxiety triggers.
It is telling that average use of Employee Assistance Programmes still sits at around 5 per cent, according to a report by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA).
As referenced earlier in the section on self-awareness, unless individual needs are understood, utilisation is unlikely to change.
At present there appears a mismatch between employer and employee perception of what support looks like.
