Our early intervention service has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Our team of registered nurses and rehabilitation consultants help employees in the most critical stages of absence, and in the majority of cases, help employees return to work before a claim is needed.
We received close to 1000 referrals in 2018, with 95% of cases not resulting in a claim. It’s a hugely impressive figure that shines a light on the hard work and expertise of our early intervention team.
Just take a look at some of our results from last year[1]:
- Out of almost 1000 referrals, 95% of cases did not result in a claim
- The average return to work time was just 7 weeks
- This dropped to four weeks where we intervened in the first four weeks of absence
- Almost 60% of referrals were due to mental health conditions, showing the value of early intervention in tackling this increasingly common cause of absence
What is our early intervention service?
Our in-house team provide guidance and support from day one of an employee’s absence. Employers just need to call us for immediate support and guidance. Our team of experts can then provide their advice, which could include:
- Guidance and recommendations to help the employee return to work
- Recommending services already available to the organisation, such as occupational health
- Identifying possible solutions to work-related absences
- Calling the absent employee to better understand the absence and providing recommendations for a return-to- work
The service can make a big difference in an employee’s absence, helping to facilitate communication and remove barriers from a return to work. The longer an absence continues, the less likely an employee is to return to work.[2] Early intervention can be the difference between a lengthy absence and an employee making a successful return to the workplace.
Top marks for service
Not only did the team deliver an impressive set of results, they’ve also delivered amazing service. Advisers, employers and employees have the opportunity to rate the service they’ve received from our team. This is completely optional and included as part of the team’s email signature.
51 people have responded since this was introduced, with 9 in 10 people rating the service as excellent (five out of five stars).[3] Over half of the respondents were employees, showing the service is not only valued by employers, but also the employees who are being referred.
Canada Life’s Scott Rayner, who regularly speaks to advisers and employers about the benefits of early intervention, had this to say:
“I’m so proud to see our nurses continue to support both employers and employees in the early stages of absence, and in some cases before. It’s fantastic to see their outstanding work reflected in the positive results that together with the employer, they continue to achieve year after year. Early intervention can form an integral part of an employer’s health and wellbeing strategy. By working together with advisers, we can ensure that the client gets the most out of their income protection policy with Canada Life.”
[1] Canada Life Early Intervention Service 2018
[2] Page 7 - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181060/health-at-work.pdf
[3] Canada Life Customer Feedback Log