Solutions

As one of the UK’s leading providers of PMI, we’ve developed cover that helps your clients give their employees prompt access to the treatment they need, when they need it. Solutions provides health-centric benefits that are attractive to employees and could help them return to work faster after illness, saving your client money. PMI can also be a great way to help your clients attract and retain the best staff and enhance their business's profile.

We understand that no two businesses are the same. That's why with Solutions, you can create a level of cover that suits the needs of your clients - enhance their cover with additional benefits or decrease it to suit their budget.

Everything we do is rooted in our three key principles:

Simplicity A clear, flexible PMI product that's been designed to help meet the needs of your business clients and their employees.

Quality Access to expert advice, treatment, specialists and hospitals. Clear clinical pathways for key conditions such as BacktoBetter for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and Mental Health Pathway to support employee's mental wellbeing. 

Affordability A focus on costs, choice, value and processes to keep premiums affordable. PMI could also help to keep absenteeism costs down, as health among the workforce improves.

Core cover

When your clients start with our core cover, they can easily increase or reduce the cover level according to budget and needs. Employees receive the following benefits as standard:

In-patient or day-patient treatment of acute conditions at a facility covered under your hospital option

• Hospital charges at a network facility or a hospital on your clients' chosen hospital option
• Specialists’ fees
• Diagnostic tests such as MRI scans, blood tests and X-rays are covered in full
• BacktoBetter, the independent case management service for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions
• NHS cash benefit of up to £100 each night, for a maximum of 25 nights for each member, in every policy year

Out-patient treatment of acute conditions at a facility covered under your hospital option

• Mental Health Pathway, covering out-patient mental health treatment
• Specialist referred physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic treatment for non-musculoskeletal conditions

Additional benefits

• Accommodation for one parent staying with a child of 15 or under receiving eligible treatment
• Home nursing on specialist recommendation following eligible treatment as an in-patient or day-patient
• Investigations into the causes of infertility subject to the qualifying period specified within the policy wording
• Treatment for complications of pregnancy and childbirth as specified within the policy wording
• £100 for each baby born to, or adopted by, a member within a year of birth
• Surgical procedures on the teeth performed in a hospital
• Hospice donation of up to £70 per day for up to 10 days
• Private ambulance if medically necessary

Cancer cover

• Cancer treatment, as explained in full on our cancer pledge page

What makes our PMI different?

We believe the flexibility of products and our clinical expertise makes us an excellent choice for both new clients and for those who have had PMI for many years.

Upgrade levels of cover and increase premiums

• Mental health upgrade – in addition to the out-patient mental health treatment provided as part of core cover, this can be upgraded to include in-patient and day-patient treatment if diagnosed with an acute mental health condition such as clinical depression. Options include cover for either 28 or 45 days and specialists' fees for in-patient treatment . This upgrade option is not available for members living in the Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man or Northern Ireland  
• Routine and GP referred services – an overall benefit limit of £1,000 for each member, every policy year
• Dental and optical cover – eligible surgical procedures are covered by core cover, but this can be upgraded to include dental treatment up to £450, accidental dental injury up to £600 and routine optical expenses up to £250. A separate excess of £50 applies to both routine dental treatment and optical benefit.

A summary of all options is included in the Solutions pre-sale brochure.

Options that reduce levels of cover and decrease premiums

• Six-week option – if the NHS can treat employees within six weeks, they can’t claim in-patient or day-patient treatment (including accident or emergency admissions), NHS cash benefit, NHS cancer cash benefit or for the cost of an NHS amenity bed
• Policy excess – a choice of member excess of £50, £100, £150, £200, £250 or £500 can be added to the policy, which will apply once for each member, every policy year, irrespective of the number of claims each person makes
• Selected benefit reduction – removes the following benefits:
  • investigations into the causes of infertility
  • treatment for complications of pregnancy and childbirth
  • surgical procedures performed on the teeth in a hospital
• Reduced out-patient cover – ask for details.

Differences for businesses with 100 to 249 employees

When your client employs a larger workforce, we make some changes to the policy. These are the key differences that will be seen by businesses covering 100 to 249 employees:

• Payments can be made annually or by a monthly or quarterly Direct Debit through a business account
• Depending on underwriting type selected, the qualifying periods for treatment regarding complications in pregnancy and childbirth, the maternity cash benefit, and investigations into the causes of infertility may no longer apply
• Experience rated premiums, which is more closely linked to the prior claims experience on the policy
• We’ll need to know how many employees are aged over 65.

Expert Select, our core route to treatment

Our guided hospital option, Expert Select, is designed to help your clients protect their business from lost personnel and working days, manage their costs and provide a valuable benefit to their employees.

Backed by our clinical expertise and excellent customer service, when an employee calls in to make a claim, we’ll offer them a choice of quality assured medical facilities, including some from the largest hospital groups. All will be local to them, offering access to a number of specialists. 

We base our recommendations on their diagnostic or treatment needs to make sure they get appropriate quality treatment options every time. This gives your clients and their employees an informed choice based on clinical need.

Once they’ve had their treatment, we’ll settle their eligible bills in full with the treatment provider which means we can guarantee no shortfalls on any eligible hospital or specialist charges for consultations, tests or treatment.

Alternative hospital options

Hospital lists are an alternative approach and can be a good option for businesses who would prefer to choose specific hospitals for their treatment

We have four hospital lists:

Key - this is our standard option and gives your clients access to around 200 private hospitals across the UK

Extended - for an extra cost, your clients can upgrade to this list, which gives access to more hospitals, predominantly in the Greater London area

Signature - companies can reduce their costs by choosing this list with fewer hospitals. It could be a suitable option if your clients employees are based mainly in Scotland and Northern Ireland as this list excludes all hospitals in England and Wales

Trust - this is a cost-saving option that uses the private patient units of NHS Trust and partnership hospitals. It’s only available for Solutions policies covering 1-99 members.

Claims

We have a dedicated department looking after our private medical insurance (PMI) claims, with staff who familiarise themselves with the details of each claim they’re working on. Our in-house clinicians are on hand to give claims advisers detailed support. Employees will have experienced claims advisers looking after their claim.

As caring employers, it’s important your clients have the right mental health support in place. That’s why we’ve added Mental Health Pathway to core cover in Solutions - to help your clients protect their business and support their employees.

How does Mental Health Pathway work?

Our Mental Health Pathway offers an extensive range of cover to make sure your clients’ employees get quick access to quality talking therapy and counselling. We’ve partnered with third party providers who meet our quality of care standards and all the employees need to do is call our claims team and we’ll route them straight through to a third party clinical provider for assessment and required treatment. 

All of the clinical case managers have a wealth of experience and cover a wide range of support services including practitioner psychologists, CBT therapists, EMDR consultants, psychiatrists and counsellors.

What are the benefits of Mental Health Pathway for employees?

• Rapid access to treatment - there’s no need for them to get a GP referral ; they can refer themselves for an assessment with a mental health practitioner
• Treatment based on need - guiding you to the most effective treatment, including direct escalation to specialist assessment if clinically appropriate
• Cover based on personalised clinical care- treatment continues as clinically appropriate, reducing delays in treatment for talking therapies and unnecessary admission to in-patient care. No excess or out-patient limits apply
• Simple claim process - employees only need to contact our claims team once. Employees' treatment is then overseen by a third party clinical provider - leaving them to focus on getting better
• Range of treatment options - including online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), cognitive analytic therapy, person-centred therapy, interpersonal therapy and mindfulness
• Choice of delivery options  - remote talking therapies, face-to-face treatment, psychiatrist assessment and in-patient treatment where clinically necessary.

What are the benefits of Mental Health Pathway for employers?

A service that complements your clients' wellbeing strategies, offering preventative advice early on as well as treatment. The pathway is also available to dependants aged 12 and over, offering an extra layer of support for their members.

• As there's no need for a GP referral, it 's quicker and easier for employees to access treatment
• Employees get the right treatment at the right time, which can help lead to a faster recovery, reducing workplace absence 
• It's a service that delivers clinical best practice no matter how complicated the problem is
• Getting employees back to work quickly is especially important in the SME space where having key staff off work for any period of time can have a significant effect on the business. Our pathway has proven return-to-work rates with 89% of employees able to access clinical assessment before leaving work due to sickness absence in 2023. Of those that left due to their mental health condition, 94% were work ready at point of discharge*.

*Mental Health Pathway SME Scorecard, December 2023

What if a member has already seen their GP?

If a member has consulted their GP before contacting us, the member's condition must still be assessed by our third party clinical case management providers. We will only cover treatment if it's managed by them.

BacktoBetter is included as standard on our Solutions product because we believe it's the best way to manage musculoskeletal (MSK) claims and can help provide a quicker return to work for employees. 

It provides case management for employees. A third party clinical case manager will assess the employee's symptoms and establish the most appropriate clinical pathway their condition requires.

How does BacktoBetter work?

If an employee experiences back, neck, muscle or joint pain, the BacktoBetter service is their first point of contact, there's no need for them to have a GP referral first. 

An employee can choose to have a clinical assessment over the telephone or online. Going online gives employees the chance to begin their assessment and book or start treatment immediately, with tele-physio and prescribed video exercises available as well as face-to-face physio.

The employee will begin the most appropriate course of treatment for their condition. This could be self-managed exercises over the telephone, by video, face-to-face physiotherapy appointments at a clinic near them or referral to a specialist for diagnostic tests or treatment. Whichever route they choose, they will always have the opportunity to speak to a third party case manager for support if they need to.

All of the third party clinical case managers have a wealth of experience; employees get support from someone who really understands their condition.

What are the benefits of BacktoBetter for employees?

BacktoBetter is a service that aims to deliver the right treatment for MSK symptoms or conditions. No matter how complex the problem is, the individual will receive on-going clinical support to help them meet treatment goals and get better more quickly.

Early intervention is key in treating MSK conditions, which is why BacktoBetter helps them to get treatment as quickly as possible.

• No need for a GP referral 
• Online assessment and treatment available to start a claim immediately
• If reduced out-patient cover has been selected the limit will not apply to physiotherapy treatment
• Choice of over 1,800 clinics throughout the UK
• A shorter claims journey for employees
• Provides access to clinical expertise and a tailored treatment plan specific to their individual condition.

• A service that complements your clients' wellbeing strategies, offering preventative advice early on, as well as treatment 
• As there's no need for a GP referral, it 's quicker and easier for employees to access treatment
• Employees get the right treatment at the right time, which can help lead to a faster recovery, reducing workplace absence
• Getting employees back to work quickly is especially important in the SME space where having key staff off work for any period of time can have a significant effect on the business
• It's a service that delivers clinical best practice no matter how complicated the problem 
• It encourages happier healthier employees
• With the online assessment and treatment, your employees can start their recovery quickly – even if that’s during their lunch break.

Added value benefits included as standard

We're dedicated to helping people live their best lives. That means encouraging them to consider their wellbeing in terms of everything they do - the way they work, what they eat, how active they are, their mental health and how they manage stress. Solutions offers the following added value benefits to your clients' employees. 

• Aviva Digital GP app* - The Aviva Digital GP app can give your clients’ employees and their covered dependents over 16 around the clock access to GP video consultations and repeat NHS prescriptions (all NHS England exemptions accepted) at the touch of a button. Please note, Aviva Digital GP is available to residents of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man at home or abroad. The terms and conditions and the privacy policy for Aviva Digital GP can be viewed in-app before they sign up. Mobile data charges may apply. The Aviva Digital GP app is provided by Square Health.
• Stress Counselling helpline - If your clients’ employees are having difficulty with the demands and expectations they face, it’s good for them to talk. They can do this through a secure helpline to trained third party counsellors, helping them to work through problems and resolve them. Available 24/7. The service is available to members and their dependents aged 16 or over. 
• Get Active* - With access to over 3,000 health and fitness clubs across the UK, as well as providers of at-home fitness and a range of other products and services designed to enhance healthy and happy lifestyles, your clients' employees will enjoy access to some great offers to help them stay fit, happy and healthy. Terms and conditions and the privacy policy can be viewed online before signing up. Visit www.aviva.co.uk/business/workplace-wellbeing/wellbeing/wellbeing-solutions for terms and conditions.
• Cancer Care with Get Active* - Your clients' insured employees can benefit from savings on products and services that can help make a small difference if they or someone close to them is living with cancer. Cancer Care with Get Active provides them with access to discounted products and services that can help with the daily living adjustments a cancer diagnosis and treatment can bring, as well as offers on services and experiences that may enhance quality time spent with family and close friends. 
• Aviva Wellbeing app* - Whether your clients’ employees want to sleep more, stress less, lose weight or get fit, Aviva Wellbeing could help them achieve lifelong change - one easy step at the time. Terms and conditions and the privacy policy for Aviva Wellbeing can be viewed in-app before signing up. Mobile data charges may apply.
• Aviva Line Manager Toolkit: Mental Health* - Empower line managers to spot the warning signs of poor mental health. The digital Aviva Line Manager Toolkit: Mental Health provides clinically-underpinned, bite-sized videos, designed to help line managers identify signs and symptoms of poor mental wellbeing among team members, both in the physical and remote work environment. 
• Mental health support* - We can support your client’s employees with mental health guidance. We can help manage and improve employee mental health by providing access to helpful information and articles. 
• MyAviva - We know life is busy, so that’s why we’ve developed MyAviva to make things easier for your clients’ employees. Our online portal will help manage all their Aviva policies and schemes in one secure and easy-to-use place. It puts a whole host of benefits at their fingertips, letting them check their policy or scheme information, including cover and benefit details to starting a new claim or update us on an existing one. MyAviva is safe secure and tailored to use on most popular devices. It’s available to download from the App Store or Google Play. Mobile data charges may apply. 

*These services are non-contractual benefits that can be changed or withdrawn by Aviva at any time.