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Early Intervention
The Alan Boswell Group early intervention scheme (EIS) is a product which provides fast-track access to treatment for employees who are absent from work as a result of a physical injury, stress, depression, or anxiety to help promote a speedy recovery and return to work.
No GP referral is necessary and treatment can be accessed after three consecutive working days of absence, or immediately after a reported motor accident. Cover is 24/7, so the absence does not have to be work related.
- Access to first-class treatment after three consecutive working days of absence
- Fast track – no need to wait for NHS treatment
- No GP referral necessary
- Pre-existing conditions not excluded
- Just £16.80 per employee
The Alan Boswell Group Difference
Unique to the market the Early Intervention Scheme is truly a one-off product offering physiotherapy and counselling services to employees without the need for a GP referral while helping reduce absenteeism.
The scheme is priced to ensure it is accessible to every company and all their employees whether you have 5 or 5,000.
EIS in detail
Employee sickness absence is a significant cost to businesses in the UK, as it is estimated that the cost of work-related injury and ill health to British businesses in 2015/16 was £14.9 billion (HSE – Health and safety at work statistics 2017). Therefore, it is extremely important that employers take steps to reduce the number of working days lost through sickness absence.
The loss of an employee through injury or sickness, including mental ill health, can have a major effect on a company. Firstly, there is a direct financial impact on the business, with sick pay for the absent employee, and additional costs incurred paying someone else to carry out their work. In addition to the direct costs, sickness absence is also disruptive to operations and workflows, and can potentially cause important deadlines to be missed.
Evidence indicates that early intervention is key to success for both common mental health and musculoskeletal issues, because the longer someone is off sick the less likely they are to return to work. After only six weeks’ sickness absence, a person’s ability to return to work falls away rapidly, as almost one in five people who reach this point will stay off work sick and eventually leave paid employment.
EIS provides early access to treatment to help employees to return to work quickly and safely.
- Early intervention Access to first class treatment after just three consecutive working days of absence.
- Motor accident Immediate access to treatment after a reported motor accident.
- Cost effective Only £16.80 (including tax) per person, per annum and no excess to pay.
- Fast track No GP referral necessary and no need to wait for NHS treatment.
- Pre-existing conditions Pre-existing conditions are not excluded.
- Stress support Confidential 24/7 telephone support line and, often, counselling options over the phone or face-to-face.
- 24/7 cover Absence need not be work related (i.e. accidents outside of work are covered).
- Employer reports Report always provided to the employer at the end of treatment.
- Simple to implement Easy to purchase and access with immediate claims support.
Exclusions
- EIS does not cover employees with an unmanaged alcohol or drug addiction, a diagnosis of severe personality disorder, a neurological disorder, Aspergers Syndrome traits or diagnosis, a significant risk of harm to self or others, or those currently accessing other services or secondary care services.
- Treatment can only be arranged by the EIS claims administrators.
- For new policies there is no cover for conditions which occurred within 7 days of inception. This does not apply to renewals.
- Some conditions may not be fully resolved by the treatment provided under EIS.
Treatment
Our panel of preferred treatment providers are independent clinical rehabilitation specialists and practice evidence-based medicine. They have been providing injury management and treatment for many years and one of them will be appointed to manage each case. Their approach to rehabilitation is based on the biopsychosocial model and uses a systematic stepped approach through prevention, early advice, and treatment to enable a safe and sustainable return to employment or pre-injury condition.
A triage will be provided by a clinical specialist with a work focused approach, to identify the appropriate treatment pathway to assist the patient recover. For mental health conditions the telephone triage is carried out by a mental health professional to determine the clinically appropriate treatment in line with NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for the treatment of common mental health issues.
Evidence demonstrates that, for certain conditions, self-management can be as effective as face-to-face physiotherapy and often more effective and convenient for the patient. Where this is identified at triage as being clinically appropriate, an information pack and exercise programme is tailored to meet the patient’s individual condition, with follow up calls to assess the progress being made.
Our treatment providers are required to have a UK wide network of partner practices so, where face-to-face physiotherapy is identified as being the clinically appropriate treatment, the patient can be referred to a local and convenient clinic. The practices undergo a strict vetting and selection process and have their performance continuously audited to ensure that patients are receiving a high-quality service.
There are two levels of psychological therapy available (psychoeducation and guided self-help), both of which are CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) based and delivered by telephone. This is similar to the structure of traditional face-to-face contact but is more flexible as appointments can be arranged to suit the individual, including during lunch breaks and in the evening.
Psychoeducation provides education and information to the individual to help them become accustomed to living with, and to better understand, their condition.
Guided self-help is a NICE recommended treatment for depression and anxiety but this approach can also help people recover from a variety of other difficulties including low mood, lack of motivation, panic, and stress.
Claims
Making an EIS claim is easy.
- To make a claim please click here.
- An email response will be sent to the referrer acknowledging receipt of the claim.
- A ‘what to expect’ leaflet will be sent to the referrer. This should be passed on to the patient so that they are aware of the process.
- Patient is called within two working days to assess their needs and to arrange treatment as clinically appropriate.
- Report provided to the employer when the case is closed.
FAQs
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No, this isn’t necessary on small numbers. However, where the total number of persons to be covered is large, say in excess of 500, this type of information may be helpful to present to insurers for a reduction in premium.
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There is no maximum, however where the total number of employees and or labour-only sub-contractors reach 500 a referral to an underwriter will be necessary and the risk will be underwritten on a bespoke basis.
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Evidence suggests that injuries or psychological problems that require more than three days off work are likely to require some type of intervention either to help the employee recover and return to work, or to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of the condition. However, treatment is available immediately if the employee is involved in a reported motor accident as a driver or passenger, irrespective of fault.
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Yes, EIS can be sold to affinity groups, membership organisations or included as part of a scheme and provides a unique opportunity to offer members a high value, low cost product… something different!
Please note that the trigger for access to treatment under EIS is still absence from work or involvement in a reported motor accident.
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Some of the following points have been mentioned previously, but are also applicable here:
- There is generally an excess (£100) to pay when you make a PMI claim – there is no excess to pay with EIS.
- There is no GP referral required with EIS.
- The employer will get a report at the end of treatment which gives details of the employee’s injury/prognosis which they wouldn’t get under a PMI policy.
- According to the CIPD Absence Management Survey 2011, employers do not believe that PMI plays a significant role in managing absence. Only 15% of private sector respondents cited PMI as one of the top three most effective methods of managing long-term absence.
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There will be some conditions which may not be fully resolved by the treatment provided under EIS.
EIS provides early intervention; this means that the contact process with the employee will start within 48 hours of referral. The NHS waiting time for GP referral and onward physiotherapy treatment can be several weeks.
When a diagnosis is made and clinicians have an understanding of the employee’s condition they may suggest that the employee contacts their GP in order to continue their treatment with the NHS after they have used their available EIS treatments.
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No, all treatment is arranged by the EIS claims administrators at Alan Boswell Group.
Costs incurred without the authorisation of the EIS claims administrators are NOT recoverable.
Policy wordings
Get in touch
Wendy Burgess
Business Manager
Wendy began her career working with specialist professional and financial insurance before moving to Alan Boswell Group in 2004, originally as an account handler in…
John Corrigan
Team Leader
John has worked in the insurance industry since 1996, when he joined Hill House Hammond’s new business sales department after sixth form. In 2004 he…
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