We are pleased to announce the launch of QuickConsult, a new healthcare service provided to our Income Protection members as an additional Nuffield Health Benefit.

What is QuickConsult?

QuickConsult is an extension of the Nuffield Health 24/7 Virtual GP service that is currently available to our Income Protection members. Included as part of our Enhanced Benefits package, QuickConsult provides professional healthcare while removing the need for a GP appointment.

How it works

With just a few taps in the Nuffield Health app, your clients can answer a set of guided questions about their health, which is then reviewed by real clinicians who can prescribe the right course of treatment or professional medical advice. The service covers a number of health concerns, with more to be added, including:

• Acne
• Asthma
• Bacterial vaginosis
• Bites and stings
• Coldsores
• Contraception
• Delay period
• Ear infection
• Eczema
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Hayfever
• Hives
• IBS
• Migraine
• Nail infection
• Period pain relief
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea
• Sinusitis
• UTI

Easier access to healthcare for your clients

With the NHS under continued strain, and waiting times for NHS GP appointments getting longer, QuickConsult can provide an even quicker route to healthcare, all without the need for a doctor’s appointment.

Shepherds Friendly Income Protection members will still have free, unlimited access to the Virtual GP service and, in the event that the QuickConsult service is not suitable for a given issue, a clinician can refer them to a GP.

Combined with the Nuffield Health 24/7 Virtual GP service, it has never been easier for Shepherds Friendly members to get the healthcare they need.

Shepherds Friendly is pleased to announce the launch of their Income Protection (Simplified Application). The new application process for Income Protection plans is now available to all intermediaries and will allow them to get cover for their clients in as little as five minutes.

 A simplified application

As an alternative to the existing fully underwritten application (now known as the Full Health and Lifestyle Application), the simplified application aims to make applying for an Income Protection plan quicker and easier for advisers and their clients. The simplified application streamlines the Underwriting process, meaning advisers can cover their clients faster and with fewer questions asked.

Based on moratorium underwriting, advisers can apply for income protection using the simplified application when their clients require short-term (one- to two-year) cover and when certain health and lifestyle conditions are met.

Chief Sales Officer, Anthony Uttley commented on the simplified application launch:

“We take great pride in our products and the service we give to intermediaries and their clients. With the addition of our simplified application, we have taken further steps towards making our Income Protection more accessible to new members and advisors and providing them with the protection they need.”

Contact us

If you would like to know more about the Income Protection (Simplified Application), please contact the Shepherds Friendly Business Development team on 0161 495 6495 during office hours (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am – 5.00pm; Friday, 9.00am – 4.00pm) or email [email protected].

We are pleased to announce that we paid out 95% of Income Protection claims in 2021, which amounted to a total of £2.5 million being paid out to our members, who were unable to work due to illness or injury, last year. We are also delighted to have paid out an average of 95.2% of claims over the past five years.

Almost half of claims received (43%) were made due to musculoskeletal issues, followed by 15% of claims for mental health, and 14% for issues related to Covid-19.

Common reasons for the small percentage of declined claims included non-disclosure of underlying medical problems or not meeting the terms and conditions of the plan.

We also paid out £12,000 to the families of members who unfortunately died during the term of their plan, which is part of our additional Death Benefit, available at no extra cost to all Income Protection members as part of our Enhanced Income Protection Benefits.

Our Chief Executive, Ann-Marie O’Dea, said: “As a financial mutual that is built on fairness, everything we do is for our members, not shareholders. We are pleased again to report a high level of pay-out across a range of conditions on our income protection policies, demonstrating the valuable support we have given our members at the time they have needed it the most.”

Our record of paying out a high number of claims is also reported to have a positive impact in the intermediary sector. Ben Mason, from LightBlue UK, shared: “We’re pleased to see mutual insurers continuing to achieve high claims paid rates. It’s important that insurers keep this up because consumers think insurers pay out far less than they actually do.”

Additional benefits for your clients

As a mutual, we are built on values that ensure our members receive the financial support and rehabilitative care they are entitled to when they need it most. All of our Income Protection members can access Nuffield Health Benefits, which include free and unlimited access to 24/7 Virtual GP appointments, emotional wellbeing support and discounted gym membership. These benefits allow those who are unwell to get the help that they need faster, with significantly reduced waiting times (compared to regular GP appointments).

Contact us

If you would like to know more about our Income Protection, please get in touch with our Business Development team on 0161 495 6495 during our office hours (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am – 5.00pm; Friday, 9.00am – 4.00pm) or contact [email protected].

One of our core aims is reducing our impact on the planet and doing everything we can to ensure our Society operates in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that our Head Office is now carbon neutral. This means that we have reduced our unavoidable carbon emissions and funded carbon offset projects that contribute to positive climate action. Some of our current projects include afforestation efforts in the UK and the cleaning of oceans worldwide. 

This is an excellent achievement, and we are proud to have made such a strong start on our journey towards net zero carbon emissions by the end of 2024. Our work with ClimatePartner will continue to explore further ways that we can limit our impact across the Society as we work towards total carbon neutrality. 

We have also begun work with Investors in the Environment to learn more about our environmental impact and how we can become more ecologically conscious. In February 2022, we were audited for the first time and assessed on five key areas of environmental management. We were given a sustainability rating of 73% and received an Investors in the Environment bronze accreditation. This is a great achievement for our Society, and we are already looking forward to putting further measures in place to achieve a silver accreditation at our next annual audit. 

Ann-Marie O’Dea, Chief Executive Officer at Shepherds Friendly said:  

“As a friendly society, we’ve always tried to do our bit for the environment. Over the last couple of years, it’s been our mission to step up that commitment and to become a greener business. To achieve carbon neutrality at our Head Office and be awarded a Bronze Investors in Environment accreditation in such a short space of time is definitely a positive step in the right direction. The efforts of our people and our Green Team have been key in this.  

“We’re certainly just at the beginning of our journey and there’s much more we plan to achieve in terms of being more environmentally conscious and sustainable. Being a mutual, values play a huge part in what we do, one of these being ‘doing the right thing’. So, working together to try and help our planet is just one way we can continue to live our values.”   

Get in touch 

If you would like to find out more about how we are becoming more sustainable, or how you could make a different with our sustainable products, contact our Business Development team on 0161 495 6495 during our office hours (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am – 5.00pm; Friday, 9.00am – 4.00pm) or at [email protected].

We are delighted to announce we have ranked first place in nine out of the 10 categories in Defaqto’s adviser satisfaction survey, and to have received the Defaqto Gold Service Rating for our income protection service this year. This follows from our recent reception of the Defaqto 5 Star Rating for our Income Protection and bolsters our reputation as a provider of exceptional service that puts both our members and intermediary advisers first.

Gold-standard service for our intermediaries

Defaqto’s satisfaction survey is sent out to intermediary advisers each year, asking them to share their level of satisfaction with protection product providers in ten categories, as well as the importance of each individual category to their business.

As well as ranking first in nine of the 10 of the satisfaction categories, we are also delighted to have ranked top in the four service categories that advisers reported as having the highest importance. Results from the survey found that claims handling and administration, new business processing, underwriting services, and product design were the most important elements of service to intermediaries, and we outperformed other providers in these key service areas.

Celebrating our success

Our Chief Sale Officer, Anthony Uttley, commented on this achievement:

“This rating touches every area of the business. Everybody has contributed to this achievement and we are very proud. To be recognised in this way by Defaqto and the intermediary market is a testament to our team’s hard work and commitment, especially in such a competitive industry.”

Defaqto also commended us on our performance, saying:

“Shepherds Friendly, a specialist income protection provider, demonstrated high levels of satisfaction from its supporting advisers”.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the advisers who took time to share their positive experiences with us in the satisfaction survey. We are pleased to be providing our intermediary advisers and their clients with care and service that sets us apart from other providers, and we will continue to work to the high standards that intermediaries have come to expect from us.

To see the full satisfaction survey report from Defaqto, click here.

Contact us

For more information about Defaqto, or if you have any questions, you can contact our Business Development team on 0161 495 6495 or at [email protected].

We are pleased to announce that we have gained the 2022 Defaqto Gold Service Rating for our Protection Services. The distinguished Gold Service Rating is a testament to outstanding and quality service, and we are delighted to have been recognised for this. Alongside the Gold Service Rating, Defaqto has also rated our Income Protection and Over 50s Life Insurance 5 Star for the sixth consecutive year, recognising our long-standing reputation as a provider of trustworthy products for our members.

What is a Defaqto Gold Service Rating?

A Defaqto Gold Service Rating is the highest commendation provided by Defaqto and distinguishes leading protection services providers from others. The rating is calculated through satisfaction surveys sent out to members of the financial adviser community. When advisers rate their satisfaction level with a provider, with scores ranging from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied”, their data is collected and compiled to give either a Silver or a Gold Service Rating. Those who do not qualify are given “no rating”. We are delighted to have received such a positive response from our advisers and are proud to have been recognised as a provider of such a high standard of service.

What is a Defaqto 5 Star Rating?

Defaqto also analyses individual protection products. Star Ratings allocate a product or proposition a rating of 1 to 5, depending on the quality it offers, with a 4 or 5 Star Rating indicating the most comprehensive offerings in the market. We are thrilled that our Income Protection and Over 50s Life Insurance have been given the highest possible rating of 5 Star. We hope that these valuable assessments will help new and existing members make better-informed choices when selecting protection products.

Thank you for your support

We are grateful to the advisers who shared their experience and who helped us to earn our Gold Service rating. We hope that you continue to have a positive experience with us. For more information about our Income Protection and Over 50s Life Insurance, you can visit our protection products webpage at https://intermediary.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/our-products/#protection, or contact our Business Development Team.

Getting in touch

If you have any questions, or would like to know more about our Defaqto rating, you can contact our Business Development Team on 0161 495 6495 during our office hours (Monday to Thursday – 09:00 to 17:00; Friday – 9:00 to 16:00), or via email at [email protected].

As part of their ongoing commitment to becoming a sustainable society, Shepherds Friendly is proud to announce their partnership with ClimatePartner as they work towards the goal of becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2024.

Working for the Future

Chief Executive, Ann-Marie O’Dea, commented: “Our ambition to become a more sustainable business is very much aligned to our core purpose as a mutual, of ensuring that we are there to provide benefit to everyone. It is important that how we perform as a business fits our values of working together for and with our members, doing the right thing and making a difference to all of society.”

The Feeling’s Mutual

ClimatePartner has helped more than 3,000 clients over 15 years across a wide range of different industries. Oliver Allcock, from ClimatePartner, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Shepherds Friendly to deliver its goal to be carbon neutral. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our modern society. We help companies take ambitious climate action by providing them with an opportunity to measure, reduce and offset their unavoidable carbon emissions.”

Less is More

Over the next three years, Shepherds Friendly will work closely with ClimatePartner to measure and offset their emissions to reduce their environmental impact and foster a sustainable society that can thrive for years to come.

If you would like to find out more about Shepherds Friendly’s sustainable products, you can find out more on our Product Page, or contact our Business Development team on 0161 495 6495 during our office hours (Monday to Thursday – 9:00am to 5:00pm, Fridays – 9:00am to 4:00pm) or by email at [email protected].

Shepherds Friendly has partnered with Co-operative Funeralcare as part of their Over 50s Life Insurance to provide their Funeral Benefit Option.

Proudly Member Owned

Chief Executive, Ann-Marie O’Dea, commented on the new partnership:

“We selected Co-op Funeralcare because, as a mutual, their values align with ours. We believe in putting our members first, and we feel that this partnership allows us to do that. Co-op Funeralcare are accessible widely throughout the UK, meaning members can access this valuable service easily at a difficult time. Our Over 50s Life Insurance and Funeral Benefit Option allows our members peace of mind knowing that their affairs will be in good hands if the worst should happen.”

Gill Stewart, Chief Operating Officer at Co-op Funeralcare, said:

“We’re really pleased to be working alongside Shepherds Friendly to offer a Funeral Benefit Option to plan holders. Our aim is to help people take control of their end-of-life wishes and alleviate some of the financial pressures on their families who may be experiencing grief and loss. This partnership will provide further peace of mind and enable us to offer our high-standards of personalised care and support when needed.”

Members taking out an Over 50s Life Insurance plan will be able to opt for the Funeral Benefit Option, which designates Co-operative Funeralcare as their funeral provider and gives members a discount of up to £250 off their funeral cost, along with advice, support and guidance, and a choice of funeral options. This feature offers members added value in their plans for the future.

Find Out More

If you have any questions about the new partnership, or what this means for new or existing clients, contact our Business Development team. You can get in touch on 0161 495 6495 during our office hours (Monday to Thursday – 9:00am to 5:00pm, Fridays – 9:00am to 4:00pm) or email at [email protected].