Unum UK adds Reframe cancer support to Help@hand app as cancer continues to dominate claims
- 70% of employees with cancer said they could have returned to work sooner with greater support from their employer
- Over 1 million employees will benefit from access to Reframe’s cancer support services via Help@hand
- Cancer is the most common cause of claim across all Unum group risk products, accounting for 69% of Unum UK Critical Illness claims
Leading employee benefits provider Unum UK is integrating cancer support services provided by Reframe into its multi award-winning health and wellbeing app, Help@hand.
Adding cancer support to the app will benefit all employees of companies who have an employer-paid Critical Illness or Group Life policy1 — more than 1 million people. Eligible family members can also access support from Reframe via Help@hand.
Employees covered by a Unum Critical Illness policy get 2 years of ongoing personal support following a cancer diagnosis. Employees have a dedicated Cancer Support Manager for continuity of care, supported by a Reframe Cancer Nurse Specialist with access to trusted clinicians and wellbeing specialists. The nurse can sit in, in person or on the phone, on medical appointments to help employees understand the medical terminology. All this support and more is available from the Reframe portal, which is now accessible from the app.
Employees and their eligible family members covered by a Unum Group Life policy now have app-based access to Cancer Assist, which provides access to Cancer Support Managers who are available via phone, email or instant chat, at every stage of the cancer journey. They focus on 5 pillars of wellbeing: physical, emotional, financial, social and professional.
Unum identified and responded to a market need, with its 2022 research showing:
- 70% of employees with cancer said they could have returned to work sooner with greater support from their employer2
- 60% of SME managers have found or would find it hard to talk to employees about their cancer diagnosis and treatment3
- Nearly a third (30%) of SME managers said they are not knowledgeable about the support their business provides to employees with cancer3
- 80% of SME managers said they felt responsible for providing support to family members of employees living with cancer.3
John Hyde, Chief Marketing Officer at Unum UK comments:
“At Unum we are constantly listening to feedback and innovating to make our services as seamless as possible. The integration of cancer support into Help@hand is a natural progression of our evolving digital proposition, giving employees access to health and wellbeing services in one easy-to-use app.
“With 120,000 people of working age diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK, access to cancer support is more important than ever. Integrating Reframe into Help@hand helps employees take control of their cancer journey and gives them a place to go for guidance, deal with their diagnosis, and discuss the support they need, whether it’s continuing to work or returning to work with more confidence.”
Julian, an employee who accessed Reframe services, found the reality of dealing with cancer was surprisingly difficult. He therefore appreciated having Reframe in his corner, commenting: “It drains you. The pain, business, work — it all drains you. All the complications, the operations and everything else, like medication. You’re not as fit as you were before. So the assistance I got from Reframe was priceless.”
For more information visit Help@hand
1 The Cancer Support Service is now available via Help@hand for those insured by employer-paid policies; voluntary, employee-paid policies can also continue to use these services by accessing them on Reframe’s website.
2 Research conducted by Censuswide between 21st–25th April 2022 amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,003 UK adults
3 Research conducted by Censuswide between 18th – 23rd May 2022 amongst a nationally representative sample of 501 SME managers
4 https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/news/overcoming-barriers-living-and-working-cancer
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