Unum UK announces record breaking 97% success rate for rehabilitation service
Unum UK has announced a record breaking 97% return-to-work success rate for individuals supported by its Group Income Protection rehabilitation service, despite referrals increasing by 35% overall. The news of this return-to-work success rate follows several enhancements that the employee benefits provider has put in place to support people to return to work or reach another agreed outcome with their employer following illness or injury.
Mental health conditions now account for almost half (49%) of all rehabilitation referrals to Unum, a 37% increase from the previous year, with Unum commenting that its Help@hand app has also seen an increase in people seeking mental health help during the same timeframe, with 37% of all bookings now mental-health related.
The data released from Unum also highlights that against a backdrop of NHS backlogs, cancer remains the leading cause of claim across all of Unum’s Group Risk products (69% for Critical Illness Cover, 39% for Life Insurance, and 30% for Income Protection). And with access to NHS dentistry becoming ever more challenging, Unum’s dental claims payments rose by 29% at the end of 2023, exceeding £31 million overall.
In total, Unum UK paid more than £471 million in claims last year - this includes £229 million for Income Protection, £160 million for Life Insurance and £43 million for Critical Illness Cover.
Paula Coffey, Director of Claims, Rehabilitation and Medical Services commented:
“Helping people in challenging times is why we exist as a business and what matters to us most. We’re always looking for ways to improve in the areas that make a real difference to people, and having such an experienced in-house team enables us to do exactly that.
We’ve significantly increased our support and training for line managers to help businesses spot and recognise the signs of distress, placing a particular emphasis on the importance of early referrals and its positive impact on either enabling a successful return to work or preventing absence from the outset.
That’s because our experience shows us that a successful return to work is centred on truly understanding the individual, and where we draw on our expertise to support people. It’s an ethos that is central to our company values and why we always take the time to individualise the support we provide our customers.”