More than a quarter of income protection claimants that returned to work during the deferred period used support services offered by Legal & General.
Figures released by the insurer show that its group income protection policies last year helped 26 per cent of UK employees who were absent from work, due to long term illness or injury, return to work before their benefit came into payment.
L&G says this was because of the rehabilitation and early intervention services offered. The FTSE100 insurer also revealed it paid a paid a total of £307m in group protection claims in 2019.
In total L&G helped 882 employees return to work within their deferred period, an increase of nearly 40 per cent on 2018.
A further 324 employees were able to return to work after payment of benefit had begun with the support of the insurer’s early intervention services. The statistics also revealed that 87 per cent of employees, whose employer made a claim, were able to return to work within the first year of absence.
Of the claims due to mental ill-health related absence, 83 per cent were able to return to work within the deferred period, whilst 70 per cent of those with musculoskeletal claims were able to return to work within the deferred period.
L&G says its early intervention programme and rehabilitation services are focused on supporting individual employees when illness or injury means they can’t work. Legal & General’s medically trained in-house rehabilitation team can assess the cause of their illness and the best course of action to help them cope with their condition.
Employees are able, where appropriate, to access these services, including access to occupational health, occupational therapists, registered nurses and physiotherapists, without a GP referral.
By funding treatment for employees at no additional cost to the employer, L&G says it aims to help individuals access the treatment they need without the financial burden of paying for sessions during recovery.
In 2019, the insurer set up almost 3,000 sessions for claimants suffering from physical and mental health conditions with its physiotherapy and psychological healthcare partners.
Vanessa Sallows, claims and governance director for Legal & General Group Protection, says: “An active, engaged and productive workforce is the lifeblood of any organisation. If an employee is unable to work due to illness or injury, it’s critical to have expert support in place to help them get better and return to work as quickly and sustainably as possible.
“The figures show the important role that Legal & General plays within the group protection industry.
“With £307m in claims paid out in 2019, it’s clear that the financial support these policies offer to our customers and their employees is extremely valuable.
“It’s also great to see that our active intervention services have helped one in four of the UK’s GIP claimants.
“We know that every employee is different. That’s why we have built our market-leading rehabilitation philosophy around putting the person at the heart of our approach. We are committed to delivering tailored, individual care to employees and helping to reduce the impact of absence on their lives.”