Kevin Rogers, Paycare CEO
“Like so many during this pandemic, we’ve had to face and overcome some challenging obstacles as a business and we wanted to take this opportunity to share an update about how we’re responding to these challenges and our plans for the future.
“As a not-for-profit organisation with people at our very heart, our core objective is to always ensure that our stakeholders remain safe and well, and that they continue to seek preventative and proactive healthcare support. And this has never been the case more than it is now.
“Our roots date back to 1874 and COVID-19 is without doubt one of the hardest times that we as a business, as Policyholders, and as individuals have ever faced. However, we must continue — as we always have done — to put our people first. And, we’ll keep doing so by taking a long-term view and making decisions based wholly on the needs of our Policyholders, our People, and our Community.
“We’ve worked extremely hard over the past few weeks to make sure that our usual standard of service has been minimally impacted by this virus and as such we’re delighted that 82% of claims are being paid back within just 24 hours.
“Like many, we’ve introduced various flexible working practices and patterns to ensure the utmost safety of our team whilst continuing to serve our Policyholders to the very best of our ability. We’re still very much here to help, with online claiming being the quickest and easiest way to submit a claim, and with continued support from our team via telephone and email.
“We’ve adapted to ensure our team are able to work flexibly and deliver our usual standard of service, as well as support our Policyholders with making claims and solving queries quickly and efficiently. They’re available on email and on the phone, with our office telephone line currently being open between 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday.
“For our corporate groups, we recognise that employees are under greater pressure and that there is an increased need for mental, physical, and financial health and wellbeing support. Our Corporate Account Managers are still very much on-hand and are here to help you and your business get through this demanding time, with increased resources being made available and even more availability for one-to-one contact to suit your needs.
“Making sure we keep the channels of communication open with you is hugely important to us at any time, but especially now. If you’re not already, please do sign up to receive our newsletters which are sent directly to our Groups and Individual (Direct) Policyholders. We regularly share insight and have made a conscious effort to further increase the amount of support and information available via our blog and social media.
“We have a fantastic team who are working incredibly hard to keep the wheels turning and making sure that our Policyholders are still able to rely on the high level of service we’re known for. In fact, many members of the team have diverted their skills to other areas of the business as it’s needed, showcasing a brilliant level of flexibility, and ultimately ensuring that we continue to deliver.
“Their unwavering commitment to helping our Policyholders and Community has been evident throughout and we’re thrilled to have successfully adapted to an even more virtual, but still personal, approach.
“While so many of us are missing out on our usual preventative healthcare appointments such as eye tests and dental treatment, there is still a huge network of services and resources available covering many aspects of mental, physical and financial support. With a range of Wellbeing Services and advice from our dedicated partners and providers, including Medical Solutions for our GP24/7 service, and Validium for our Employee Assistance Programme and Counselling services.
“In addition, we’re working closely with our local Chambers of Commerce to ensure that health and wellbeing support is provided to those navigating their businesses and staff through this turbulent time. It’s been an opportunity for us to collaborate with organisations to share our knowledge and expertise, with regular workshops and virtual meetings hosted by our team throughout the pandemic — a new way of working that we hope continues as it’s proven so valuable to all involved.
“Community has, and always will, play such a huge role in our not-for-profit business, which is why we’ve continued to lend our support wherever we can. In place of traditional volunteering, we’ve been able to find creative ways to help amazing organisations secure valuable resources and equipment for workers on the frontline and to support those at higher risk.
“All of this is possible because of our a small but perfectly-formed team, which is made up of hugely passionate people who want to make a heartfelt difference. Due to their hard work and sheer determination, we’ve been able to respond in agile and proactive ways, backed up by an equally passionate senior management team who continue to make dynamic and long-term decisions which are focused on our three core stakeholder groups.
“A thank you too must be shared with them for ensuring our Policyholders and Community continues to feel the love from Paycare. It’s truly an unprecedented time and we all look forward to brighter times ahead. Stay safe and stay well.”