"We hope that by offering registered advisers, and their immediate families, free access to our GP 24/7 service until the end of December, we can provide an extra level of comfort to our valued partners at this time."
Advisers don’t need to have written any business to qualify and the offer will also be available to advisers who register with Guardian between now and the end of the year.
Guardian’s GP 24/7 service, currently available to every policyholder, gives access to a GP consultation with a UK-based doctor at any time during the day or night, from any location. People who use the service can choose a phone or video consultation, using their phone, tablet or PC. There is no cap on the number of calls and no time limit on consultations. The service is provided by Guardian’s partner, HealthHero, and can be used to provide medication support, as well as private prescriptions and referrals.
This offer comes at a time when analysis of NHS England data shows rising pressure on NHS GP practices in the aftermath of the pandemic. Recent analysis by the Health Foundation found that there were 279 million appointments made with GP practices in England from April 2020 to March 2021, compared with 310 million the year before. This was a drop of 10%, meaning many people may have missed the diagnosis and treatment needed during the pandemic. As society starts to open up once again, this is now translating into increased pressure on primary care, and in particular, GPs. The same analysis stated that more than 28 million GP appointments were booked in March 2021. This was the highest level ever recorded, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, in March 2019, by 2 million.
Jacqui Gillies, marketing and proposition director at Guardian, said: “Health and wellbeing are front of mind as we emerge from the pandemic. We hope that by offering registered advisers, and their immediate families, free access to our GP 24/7 service until the end of December, we can provide an extra level of comfort to our valued partners at this time. For advisers not yet registered with Guardian, who’d like to take advantage of this offer, our online registration process is easy and quick. Advisers can register and be submitting business within 10 minutes.”
Dave Jennings, commercial director at HealthHero, commented: “We’re delighted to help Guardian give its valued partners access to our remote GP consultation service. At HealthHero, we’re committed to simplifying healthcare and improving lives, using the latest technology to improve the patient experience. We put medical advice from clinical experts into the hands of millions of people – no matter where or when they need it. We work with businesses to offer our services to their policyholders, employees and business partners – enabling them to better support the health and wellbeing of their most important assets: their people, and their customers.”
Robert Harvey, protection product specialist at Protection Guru, added: “I’m very happy to hear of this initiative by Guardian and I’m sure it will be well received by advisers. These types of support services are an important part of an insurance contract but can sometimes be overlooked in the protection conversation. By getting to sample the GP24/7 service, advisers can experience what’s on offer for themselves, which means they can then better promote and explain to customers. Not to mention the huge need for this type of service post pandemic.”
