Protection claims

Rob: Mick, you've been on a real journey. Do you mind just telling us a little bit about how life was looking for you.

Mick: Yeah, sure. I guess before it happened, leading up to the age of 50, I had very active life. I was a commercial manager. I loved sport, so I'd play anything I could. Mainly football. I guess I've been having a few back initial issues. And then at 50, it was a go karting day out, so I joined in, after 45 minutes on it, I was in severe pain, agonizing pain.

A consultant back specialist advised me that a back operation might be the answer to remove the herniated disc. It was a real turning point. I got to about 56, 57. I did a lot of walking and my back went. And then it was go back, see the consultant. He gave me the bad news that the operation I had before was not possible this time round.

You now have to manage the situation. Over the next couple of years I kept trying to work full time, but I spiralled down physically, mentally. And I got to the point where I just had to say, that's enough, I'm stopping work. So I went to my pension adviser, and she advised me, I have this income protection policy, which I've forgotten.

At which point one, the financial support was amazing because it gave me a greater degree of feeling I was supporting the family and I had an income. But then they moved on to the medical support, which was amazing.

Rob: The claims case manager at the time suggested we might be able to help and whether there was any extra support through one of our suppliers Working to Wellbeing. Do you mind just perhaps telling us a little bit about what they did for you and how that's helped.

Mick: Yeah, they were brilliant. The case manager, was, superb and she put me at ease straight away. She explained that as part of the policy, I could get support with physiotherapy, and with my mental health. They basically looked at CBT, which they help me with my, ongoing depression and drew me out of that, giving me the tools both physically and mentally to start coming out of that deep low in my life. And then over a period I was able through the assistance of Aviva, the physiotherapy support and the exercises they gave me to do, get me back to working. And then they suggested I try walking football. My wife said, I've never seen you so happy. I said, it was brilliant. I've got something back that I love doing.

Rob: When you took up the walking football, something happened during that that then that would be provided we extra support for you?

Mick: Yes. I ruptured my Achilles and of course that reinforced the fact that I'm so glad I've got some support here financially, medically, to get me through this. So again, I was put on a another series of physiotherapy, how to get through this, how to keep working, get me back to work very quickly.

Rob: Obviously, you took this policy out a number of years ago and at the time what was your reason for taking it?

Mick: The reason for taking it at the time was because I had a young family, a huge mortgage. And of course, you look at the risks and I think most people would like to get, cover for the what ifs in life.

Rob: Do you mind just telling us perhaps a little bit about what perhaps you felt life would have looked like had you, if not had the income protection policy now?

Mick: I dread to think, to be honest, without that, I couldn't see a way out. So with the medical support and the income support, I was able to find a way out, which I don't think I would have had if I hadn't have at that policy.

So yeah, it was life saving for me, I think. I mean, it's just it's a cushion and it was enough to see me through the pain and, help me feel like also that I am providing for the family. I'm working now albeit part time, I'm seeing people, I’m back playing walking football, so I'm in a very fortunate position. Yeah, I, I dread to think where I'd have been if I hadn't have had this policy.

So looking back, it was probably the best thing I've ever done.

Rob Gillis, Income Protection Claims Team Manager: Aviva’s purpose is with you today for a better tomorrow. Income protection really epitomises this helping our customers prepare for the unexpected. But our support goes beyond financial payout. Our claims team is trained to work out case by case what else we can do to help support a return to normality.

If it's the best thing for our customers, we can help speed up their recovery through our rehabilitation support services. This can consist of providing private physiotherapy, talk therapy and support to people on their cancer journeys.

Let's hear from my team on how they support our customers.

Emma Rickard, Senior Claims Case Manager: So, during the initial call we have with a customer, we will build a quite good rapport with them. They're normally calling us at quite a difficult time in their life. These calls can take between 20 minutes to over an hour and then you’re their case manager throughout the claim.

Claims can sometimes be a few months, and like one claim I have got at the moment is over eight years. So, you built up the rapport at the beginning and then you build that relationship as a claim goes on. So, we don't just offer financial support, we can offer sort of treatment support, we can signpost, we do really drill into what the individual needs from us.

So, I'm really lucky, I’m one of the supply leads for one of erm Working To Wellbeing. They are cancer specialists, they specialise in cancer and long term chronic conditions. So when customers come to us umm suffering with these conditions, we can actually provide them with this additional rehabilitation support from day one.

Early intervention, we know is key and the clinician would be their case manager. They can provide them with physiotherapy, home exercise, how to manage fatigue, giving them tips and advice. So it's really good service that they offer as well as us. So it's like we do it together and provide that support.

Cherry Parsons, Senior Claims Manager: So, the first call that we make with our customers really, really important to understand the full picture, we all know that actually phoning somebody new and telling them about our story or where we are is really, really difficult.

So, what we try to do from that initial call is make them feel reassured. I think as part of our team, our team are really, really caring. We all come from caring backgrounds. So before we even make the call and talk to our customers, it's really important to us that we can make some kind of a difference.

Iain: My name is Iain Greer, and this is my wife, Claire Greer.

Claire: And we've got two daughters. We've got Maisie who’s four and a half, and we've got Anna, who's just over two.

Iain: So in 2020, we decided to buy a new home.

Iain: So we actually got the keys of our property the day of lockdown about a month after that, we discovered that Claire was pregnant and that we would be due in December 2020. At that time, we went through all the normal tests, but all the tests showed Anna is going to be a perfectly healthy child. When she was born, a few days later she was diagnosed with Trisomy 21, which is also known as Down Syndrome.

Iain: We started a claim with Aviva and to make sure we knew that it was covered, which thankfully it was under the upgraded children's benefit. So with Nikki they looked after us from start to finish with the whole process. There was always someone at the end of a phone call if we needed her. She was sending emails, just updating exactly where we were with medical records, what were still outstanding. To get that phone call to say that the claim was accepted and that Aviva would be covering Anna’s Down Syndrome diagnosis was absolutely incredible. One of the regrets we do have with it with Claire's plan, we didn't include the upgraded children's critical illness benefit. There is saying the most expensive insurance is the one that you don't take and there's never been a truer word.

Iain: Four months into Anna being born Anna was then diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia as well. So it was a double blow to us.

Claire: When we realized that Anna had to go into hospital for treatment it was a huge shock. I was still on MAT leave at the beginning of it and Iain was running the business. So even just one of us had to be with Anna for 24 hours a day, while the other person had to be at home with Maisie.

Iain: We witnessed a lot of things, the pain that she had experienced, but understanding that she's got to go through this pain to feel better. And the treatment was really intense. We were really grateful for the first pay out that we received from Aviva for Anna’s Down Syndrome diagnosis. We generally didn't expect to need to go back again, but thankfully with two individual plans, we're both able to put in two separate claims, one for myself and one for Claire, which was again dealt with at the same time. You know.

So to be able to piggyback both claims, get the same information from the doctors, we were kept really well updated from Aviva the whole way through the process to know, look, we're here, this is all we’re needing once her illnesses confirmed, we'll get that off to see if it's something we can help with. And thankfully they did, we were able to get the hospitalisation benefit included as well, which was the additional hundred pounds a night, which really helped with us.

And, you know, for the 30 days pay out, quite a significant piece of money that was able to help support us while covering fuel costs and additional things that we had to pay out for while living in the hospital. The whole process from start to finish was fantastic, even to the point where there was two little teddy bears arrived for Maisie and Anna which was just one of those touches to show that someone out there is thinking of you.

Claire: That’s a lovely thought, something that was definitely not expected from an insurance company that you would think that it's, you know, think of something for young kids.

Iain: You think it's such a small detail, but in actual fact, it has a huge impact. So with the pay out that we received, we've actually invested that for Anna's future. It's going to be money that she's going to need to be able to help support her life as it goes on.

Claire: Knowing that if Anna does need something. It could be equipment or we just need to buy in anything that's a bit kind of more substantial money wise, we’ve got that to fall back on.

Iain: So after seven months of living in hospital, we got out and having that final walk through the hospital where she was able to ring a bell and all the nurses and doctors lined up something that I'll remember forever. And so now Anna is two and a half and the best way to describe her is a wee cracker. She is an absolute bundle of energy, lights up a room when everyone's in there and she's got the cutest wee face you could imagine. We actually got the news two days ago that Anna is now cancer free. So it's a huge relief for us as a family.

Iain: It's an incredible journey we've been on. We've had a lot of support from friends and family as well. But again, the financial support we’ve had from having the right type of insurance policy has made all the difference. Her whole world is turned completely upside down. Money should be the last thing anyone needs to worry about. Whenever that’s happening, you’re like how is a mortgage getting paid, how we're going to fund food, you know, is there private treatment or private physiotherapy or things that we can use to help make Anna’s life better. Having that lump sum payment now that we've got for her allows us to be able to help plan around her future and hopefully give her things that she wouldn't be able to have, had we not had the money to do so.

So my name’s Marlena, and I’m 25 years old, I am a Protection Adviser and I have been advising now for just over 5 years.

I speak to my clients every single day, why they need protection and why it’s so important and one day I just thought Marlena you need to take your own advice.

Because when you are fit and healthy you just never know if it’s going to stay that way or if something’s going to happen in the future.

Usually I’m quite bubbly, I’m really outgoing, I love socialising, going out with my friends. But I just started to feel more run down.

Um, so I did think actually this is not like me. So I turned to my Doctors and I told them the symptoms that I was feeling. So, one of the symptoms was, you know, migraines, nosebleeds, just feeling like you’ve got no energy whatsoever even though I’ve just woken up.

But they did kind of say, have you considered long Covid but I just felt within myself no, this is just not right how I’m feeling so I did turn to my Aviva policy for support.

So within my policy, I’ve got an amazing benefit called DigiCare+ which includes a lot of benefits such as annual health check, a private doctors appointment and also dietician sessions.

But I just thought to myself, actually the main one that I need is the annual health check, first, which is a really quick finger prick test, and then after that I’ve had a full report come back to me within days which showed me exactly what potentially could be wrong.

And I went on my app and really quickly I managed to get an appointment, which was a video appointment with a Doctor and they were able to explain to me what the results meant.

Probably one of the biggest concerns was my white blood cells, which we didn’t understand why they were so low. I felt it was really important to go and get that checked out.

So I’ve called my Doctors just to say that I did go privately to have a look at what was going on.

After I’ve explained my results roughly they actually said OK maybe you do need to be seen by a Doctor, which really did open a lot of doors because the next day I had a blood test and they’ve said we need to go and investigate it further.

Once they referred me to the hospital, they then diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome.

And obviously I felt like that was actually one of my most stressful and anxious times.

I’m quite an anxious person as it is and then knowing that actually, you might not be OK was just another level of anxiety.

So within my DigiCare+ you do also have some counselling sessions included.

It was really nice just to speak to someone and again feel like you are being heard and they are listening to you.

I feel like without that DigiCare+ I would not be able to get to the bottom of my health.

With me having such a great experience with using DigiCare+,

it makes the conversation with my client a lot better because they can really see the value of the benefit.

For more information on Aviva protection products and the wellbeing services available,

visit us online or speak to your financial adviser or your employer.

The annual Health Check and the digital GP services are wellbeing services that are available with the Aviva DigiCare+ app that is accessible with all eligible Aviva Protection products,

and the Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace app that is accessible with Aviva Group Protection products.

The apps and services mentioned are provided by Square Health.

They are non-contractual benefits that Aviva can change or withdraw at any time.

Terms, usage limits and residency restrictions apply.

Alia: My name's Alia. I'm 39. I was born in South Yorkshire and then came up to Leeds to go to university in 2000, and stayed here, except for a year in Australia, ever since. I'm an A&E doctor. I'm a mum of two. And unfortunately, in 2017, I was diagnosed with a large brain tumour. Zara, my youngest, was about eight months old.

I went to see the brain surgeon, and he said that they could operate or they could not, but if they weren't to operate, it would be fatal. So, I didn't really there was much of a choice. That was end of June.

I had surgery in August.

Immediately after the surgery, I couldn't sit up, I couldn't swallow, I couldn't speak. It was not an easy time. So, I didn't make contact, initially, because I couldn't... I just wasn't capable of either such planning or that speech. So, my husband got in touch with Aviva, my income protection policy.

Phil: I spoke to Claire Conlin, who was brilliant. I mean, she was just so helpful and kind and reassuring and decent, which I didn't... strangely, I didn't expect, but guided me through the entire process and made it really, really easy. We would probably of lost the house if we didn’t have it.

And I didn't have to make that choice. I realised that for the first year or so after an injury like Alia had, the first couple of years, you've got a peak period of neuro rehab. You can recover better during that period if I could go to them and say, "Look, will you consider investing in lots of extra therapies for Alia, with the chance that she gets back to work and she gets better, which would be phenomenal for us as a family.

And I sent this off as not expecting anything and then came back and said yes.

And that led to a really extensive package of neurological rehab for you. For months. And you surged during that period, what you could do, things like picking Zara up.

Alia: So four days a week for four hours a day, there was a mix of physio and occupational therapy and a small amount of speech therapy. And not only was that really helpful for the skills it gave me, but they also almost hardened me to go back to work, like it meant that I felt able to commence and do something for that length of time.

Phil: It made a huge difference. And to the point whereby from my point of view, and this is a bit selfish, but I could go out the door. I could leave you and the kids without being worried. That made a massive difference to be able to, yeah. To be able to leave you guys briefly. And then I'm working nights tonight, you're looking after the kids. And that was unthinkable. That was unthinkable.

Alia: As part of what Aviva offered, they involved ergo.com, and I was allocated my own... I mean, she's an OT by background, but she managed my case and she accompanied me to work, looking at what we could do to make the workplace more accessible to me.

The back to work support probably lasted for about a year. To begin with, particularly in terms of my mobility, she was incredibly helpful at making sure I was able to access as much support as I needed. She facilitated me getting an electric wheelchair, and taxi service from work, because I didn't have a driving licence. That was all available.

When you ask our oldest daughter about the time that Alia was in hospital, she actually comes back with a series of fond, happy memories. And that, to me, is probably one of my greatest achievements in life, is that Layla, despite everything that you've gone through, and to some extent we've gone through as a family, our kids are happy, and they don't look back terrified at that period because we could be there for them as a family. I could look after everyone and I had the financial ability to do that, and to be there rather than to be at work.

My name's Linda Hood. I am a finance business partner for a government department. In August last year I was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which was a bit of a blow to say the least, because I hadn't had any symptoms at all, was feeling perfectly fit and healthy, was running, doing my house up, doing my garden.

I went and sent to the hospital, and that was that really. And I phoned … It was really an afterthought to be honest, because you're trying to process all this information that they're giving you. The lady I spoke to was lovely. Really, really, lovely, and very sympathetic, and great empathy, and I'm really sorry, and don't worry about it we'll deal with everything for you. We'll contact your doctors, and the hospital, and to give us all those details, and we'll make sure that we keep in touch with you.

And I cried…

….and because it was such a huge relief, because you don't know what the future's gonna hold. At the end of the day, you don't know whether the cancer's gonna come back or not. If you've got that relief in knowing that your mortgage is paid for, and you're not gonna get turfed out of your house, you are not gonna get your house repossessed it's just such a wonderful feeling, and it just means you can concentrate on looking after yourself, and getting yourself prepared for the chemo, and just coming to terms with everything, and just getting on with life, and not having to worry about where the money's gonna come from.

My whole process along the line with Aviva has just been fantastic really, the people I've spoken to, the communications methods have been great, and obviously the end result paying off my mortgage is just fantastic.

You know they ask "How are you doing? How's everything going? How's the treatment going?" I said I was about to start the chemo. I think it was the following week. Again, he said "I hope it's not too severe, and I hope you manage all right with it." So it really felt like you were a real person, and not just a number, or a statistic. It felt like they actually had an interest in you as a human being, which is something else that's really, really nice when you're going through this process… so to be treated as a human being, and for somebody to pick up on how frightened you are, or how worried you are about things, is lovely. It really is.

I have to say you hear all kinds of horror stories about insurances, but I have to say I've had no quibbles with Aviva at all. I'm living proof that they've paid out. It's been simple, easy, stress-free. It's been great.