Expanding our mental health support
Health & Wellbeing -
Over recent years, we’ve seen a rise in the rate of mental health claims we pay – last year, they accounted for over 16% of all claims in the group business, and 14% across TAL. That is why we’re continuing to invest in the services we provide to support the mental health of our people and our customers.
On this front, we are pleased to expand our partnership with SuperFriend, who will help train our case managers and people leaders, and launch a pilot initiative with Remedy Healthcare to support members on claim.
Staff training with SuperFriend
SuperFriend will now offer training for our claims managers, developing outcome-focused techniques that help the case manager understand the person on claim’s goals and shape the process with that in mind.
We’re also working with SuperFriend to train people leaders, equipping them with the right skills and tools to support their teams and foster an environment where they feel comfortable discussing mental health.
We’re pleased to offer these training schemes to everyone in those roles, and they will be mandatory.
Meanwhile, we are launching a pilot initiative with Remedy Healthcare to coach and empower customers suffering from mental health conditions.
With more than 200 passionate nurses, health coaches and allied health professionals nationwide, Remedy’s innovative health services have improved the lives of over 75,000 Australians in the last 10 years by forging partnerships with insurers, hospitals, employers, peak bodies and pharmaceutical companies.
Together, we will add “Remedy MindStep” to our broader health support services, giving our trained case managers the opportunity to offer free-of-charge and optional coaching services to members on income protection claims associated with depression or anxiety.
Medical expertise
We are committed to providing the best possible support for your members with mental health conditions, and aligning our services with best medical practice by partnering with medical experts is important in doing so.
In this case, we are focused on proving the MindStep’s effectiveness in a targeted testing period before we roll it out, particularly because it relates to claimants with sensitive mental health conditions.
About MindStep
As part of the MindStep program, Remedy Healthcare draws on trained mental health coaches to provide a series of behavior activation sessions aimed at increasing motivation and facilitating improved wellbeing.
In the UK, a similar service treated over 1 million people and helped 45,000 return to work.
The intention is that these sessions will complement the care that customers receive from their GP, psychologist or psychiatrist over a period of seven weeks, as trained mental health coaches work directly with the customers’ usual doctor or health professional.
We are excited to explore its effectiveness with our customers, and look forward to updating you on our progress!