In early 2020, I wrote an insight about HealthWise, The Exeter’s member benefits app, reminding advisers of its availability and the support it provides your clients. At the time, pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) was starting to grow due to the impact of coronavirus, and we were all keeping a watchful eye on developments.

Fast forward to today, and I don’t think any of us could have foreseen how the pandemic has impacted us and how much life as we knew it would change.

Changes for the better?

Could some of the changes forced upon us drive long-lasting, positive outcomes? One area where we may see a change is in the way we access healthcare services.

In the second half of 2020, 40% of all GP appointments in England were conducted remotely by telephone or video appointment, up 26% compared to the same period in 2019. This trend grew throughout 2020, with almost five and a half million more GP appointments being fulfilled remotely in December than in January last year¹.

It will be interesting to see how these figures change in 2021 as social distancing restrictions ease and whether health services continue to be provided remotely as standard practice.

Leading the way

Any changes making general healthcare more easily accessible, without compromising the quality of care provided, should be embraced by us all. But the roll-out of wide-ranging digital healthcare services on a national scale will take time and money to develop and implement.

The provision of access to remote healthcare is an area where the UK health and protection industry has continued to develop and innovate. From the inclusion of second medical opinion services or mental health support to the development of health and wellbeing apps, we have long been a driving force in the provision of alternative healthcare solutions.

These solutions have been developed with the customer in mind and when made easily accessible, they are widely embraced.

Our own experience

Until late 2018, the additional support services offered by The Exeter were solely accessed by telephone. This traditional approach changed with the introduction of HealthWise, our member benefits app.

Since its launch, HealthWise has driven a change in behaviour from our members with 94% of support services now accessed through the app, and overall usage more than doubling year-on-year.²

But it’s not just accessing services remotely which has changed, we have also changed how we support members:

• 91% of remote GP appointments provided advice or an onward referral
• 9% of members received a prescription for medication
• 99% of ongoing mental health support was delivered remotely
• 86% of physiotherapy treatments were recommended virtually through e-treatments².

Looking forward

As we move through 2021, it will be interesting to see what changes arise from the coronavirus pandemic and how we embrace them. One certainty is that the NHS will continue to face many challenges. Challenges that we can do our bit to help them overcome.

To find out more about HealthWise and how it has supported our members visit www/the-exeter.com/adviser or contact your Account Manager.

Sources:

1 – digital.nhs.uk

2 –  The Exeter, 2020 HealthWise usage data

HealthWise services are provided by Square Health.

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