online wellbeing: surge in virtual healthcare

online wellbeing: surge in virtual

There is a surge in the use of virtual health care since the beginning of lockdown with twice as many mental health appointments.

Employee benefits provider, Unum, has these pressures are likely to continue over seen more than a 100% increase in the the coming months. Employers can support number of mental health appointments wellbeing and productivity by ensuring booked each month through its digital their staff are fully aware of mental health health and wellbeing app, Help@hand. support and other remote health services The number of registrations has increased dramatically since the start of the Unum’s Help@hand app, available to their pandemic with over 1,000 businesses now members, provides access for employees registered and over 200,000 employees and their families to five key health and eligible to use the services. The increase is wellbeing service including remote GPs. in line with other healthcare insurers and Insured employees with an eligible Unum providers who are also reporting a steady policy and their partners can access up to rise in the use of their virtual health and up to eight mental health consultations per online GP services. year between them. The treatment plan Compared with March, Unum has seen and can include supported online cognitive more than twice as many mental health behavioural therapy modules. In person appointments offered since the UK entered treatment may also be recommended by lockdown and now exceeds the number the therapist during a video consultation of physio appointments requested via the assessment. service. the summer, 76% related to stress, anxiety or clearly had a physical, psychological or emotional impact on many workers and they have available to them.” is usually delivered via video consultation Unum is not alone with many insurance and Unum has stated that 96% of these protection providers offering virtual health appointments were offered within two support as Jamie Tuffield, who heads up working days of the date they were advo’s employee benefits team confirms requested, enabling employees to get “Vitalityhealth, in my opinion, have the medical advice swiftly as well as preventing leading integrated UK solution, with their long waiting periods, additional stress and own Virtual GP moving seamlessly into their time off work. full claims process directly. Also, Aetna, Peter O’Donnell, CEO of Unum UK insurers, are now offering an international commented: “Our remote healthcare Virtual GP for their members, with local service has been a lifeline for many over GP’s around the world where needed and the past few months, facilitating access prescription delivery for the expat market. to mental health clinicians and GPs Other international insurers including quickly without the need for face to face Cigna and AIG offer virtual health bringing appointments and avoiding additional together virtual GP, dietician/ nutritional pressure on NHS resources. Of the mental advice, lifestyle coaching and stress support health appointments provided by Help@ all in one online wellbeing service. These are hand [Unum’s health & wellbeing app] over offered at no additional cost to the client.” depression. These are conditions that can If you would like to know more about how benefit significantly from early support and your employee benefits can support your intervention.” employees in lockdown or need wider “The challenges of the last six months have advogroup.co.uk to start a conversation. along with many international health HR support then email advo on info@