Get a Helping Hand after making an insurance claim

by John Fitzsimons on 30 July 2009  |  1 comment
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One insurer deserves a pat on the back for giving its policyholders more than just their money.

I don't normally need much of an excuse to have a moan about financial companies. They just give me so many reasons to get annoyed at them.

However, insurer Bright Grey is one firm that I reckon deserve a pat on the back.

Because when you successfully make a claim from Bright Grey, they don't just give you the money you are owed - they also provide both physical and psychological help, free, thanks to their affiliation with independent care advisory service RED ARC.

The service is called Helping Hand, and has been in place since Bright Grey launched six years ago. When you make a claim from Bright Grey, you will be contacted by a personal nurse adviser to answer any questions you have, as well as offer support varying from counselling to specialist therapy.

In fact, even if you don't make a claim, you can still get access to a series of helplines.

There is a medical helpline, which can talk you through issues as trivial as vaccinations for foreign holidays, as well as a career helpline (which can give guidance on CVs and preparing for interviews) and a personal helpline so you can have a chat with professional counsellors.

Bright Grey has put together a number of pamphlets explaining the service, and using real life examples of customers who have benefitted from Helping Hand. The most inspiring for me is Howard Tighe, a man who suffered a stroke at the age of just 41.

Not only did he receive almost £75,000 in a payout from Bright Grey, he also received help from his own nurse adviser, as well as a series of physiotherapy sessions to help him recover and get back to work.

Howard has since recorded a video about his recovery, and is full of praise for the Helping Hand facility. Without it, he questions whether he would have made the recovery he did. He will also be taking a central role in a promotional campaign the firm has planned for later this year, and is just one of many people whose lives have been helped by this support structure.

Insurance firms often - and quite rightly - cop a lot of stick for some of the antics they employ to avoid paying out claims. But now and again they do something which really does deserve praise, and I think that to provide a service like Helping Hand, at no extra cost, is terrific.

Personally, I hope other insurers take note and follow suit.