Bright Grey gives families a Helping Hand
Wednesday, 02 May 2007
Plan owner's nearest and dearest now qualify for unique support services too.
Bright Grey is extending its groundbreaking Helping Hand service to cover clients' families too. This means that the plan owners' spouses, partners and children will automatically benefit from the most comprehensive support package in the individual protection market.
Roger Edwards, Product Director at Bright Grey says:
"We realised that when a plan owner falls ill, is out of work or needs help and support to deal with the situation they find themselves in, this impacts on all the family. That's why we've now made sure our Helping Hand support service is not just limited to our clients, but covers their nearest and dearest too."
Bright Grey's Helping Hand service is made up of three elements:
• The specialist support of a personal nurse adviser from RED ARC Assured Ltd, an independent care advisory service. Through RED ARC we provide a personalised service if a plan owner makes a claim or one of their family falls seriously ill. So, for example, they can help clients to navigate the NHS, arrange a visit from a specialist nurse or suggest a programme of therapy or counselling to help them reach their fullest possible potential again. They can also help in cases of bereavement.
• Discounts and deals from a range of companies focused on your health, which include discounts on health screenings with BMI healthcare, no joining fee and a free week with Fitness First gyms; and 30% off the cost of Forever Living healthcare products.
• A range of helplines offering quick and easy professional help. These include legal, medical, personal and career helplines.
Edwards adds:
"When we launched our Menu Protection plan complete with the Helping Hand service in 2003, we were focused on looking at the real needs of someone who suffers a critical illness. And it was clear to us that these were not just financial. That's why we included Helping Hand in our product at no extra cost and we were right to do so – four out of every five Bright Grey plan owners who have made a claim have used the specialist support of a personal nurse adviser.
"Since our launch, some other providers have introduced different support benefits too. This is great news for people taking out protection. But obviously we're keen to keep our competitive edge and remain innovative in the individual protection market place. We also want to continue to offer the best value we can for plan owners. The extension of Helping Hand to include family members achieves this goal. We now offer the most comprehensive support in the market, to not just some, but all of Bright Grey plan owners - and their families too."
Richard Thomas, Managing Director of RED ARC Assured Ltd, comments:
"Bright Grey pioneered the integration of support benefits in individual protection products, and has taken the high ground once again. Its Helping Hand service is so wide-ranging and multi-faceted I doubt very much that any competition will be able to replicate their service design. It's unique in the market and continues to set the standard that others can only try to follow."
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For further information please contact:
Bright Grey
Nicky Lundy
nicki.lundy@brightgrey.com
Tel: 0131 247 1677
RED ARC Assured Ltd
Richard Thomas
rthomas@redarc.co.uk
Tel: 01273 716 700
Notes to editors:
Bright Grey's Menu Protection Plan
• Bright Grey's Menu Protection Plan, aimed at individuals, was launched to the market in March 2003. This includes a choice of life, waiver, critical illness and income protection covers. Every plan owner and now their families also receive the Helping Hand Service detailed above at no extra cost.
• The Menu Protection plan also provides cover of up to £20,000 for each of the client's children when critical illness is included in the plan.
• In August 2006 we asked almost 2,000 people when choosing between 2 similar insurance products of similar price, what is likely to be the main thing that influences your final choice? 1 in 8 (12%) of those surveyed said extra free benefits like those offered by our Helping Hand service. With 42% saying the free benefit they would value most within a critical illness plan is access to the advice and support of a qualified nurse. (Source tickbox.net).
RED ARC's service
• Personal nurse adviser
plus
• Specialist nurse home visit; or
• A programme of therapy (eg physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and complementary therapy); or
• A programme of counselling (for stress, trauma and bereavement).
Royal London Group
• Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value premium propositions, operating through a number of brands:
o Scottish Life - UK pensions market
o Bright Grey - UK protection market
o Scottish Life International - offshore investment markets
o RLAM - fund management
o RLAS - life and pensions administration.
• Royal London is one of the stronger life and pension companies in the UK, with a current rating of 7/10 from Cazalet Financial Consulting, and has a particularly strong track record for with profits performance. It is also the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £30.8bn. Group businesses serve over three million customers and employ 2,640 people. (Figures as at 31 December 2006.)