The end of furlough is fuelling increased demand for mental health support, according to insurers.
Data obtained by Health & Protection reveals that around 15% of requests for mental health consultations to AIG Life’s Smart Health service occurred in just the month of July.
Earlier this week, the insurer revealed more than 800 people have had more than 1,500 mental health consultations via Smart Health in the first six months of this year – 24% more people than in the whole of 2020.
Following a request from Health & Protection for its most recent data, the insurer revealed that from the start of the year to the end of July, it had received 941 requests for mental health consultations with 1,820 mental health sessions taking place.
Number of factors coming together
Speaking to Health & Protection this morning, Donald McLean, chief financial officer at AIG Life, said the increase in consultations reflected a number of factors coming together.
This included pressures of life returning to normal, the resumption of the daily commute, increased prices, supply chain shortages and the recent chaos at petrol station forecourts.
But McLean added that today’s ending of furlough for workers across the country has only intensified these concerns. And it is an issue close to McLean’s heart.
“My own wife, Ruth, has been furloughed for the full duration really and she’s a librarian,” McLean told Health & Protection.
“Her library is back in service and she went back two weeks ago. But for someone who has been off work for almost 18 months, there’s all the thoughts and the pressures of can I still do my job? Can I help with the kids as they’re back in school while we’re getting back to work? And that was a little microcosm.
“We actually have quite a cushy set up. We’re not the most needy of families but that was a little microcosm of issues that will be much more amplified in the rest of society.”
McLean added that this situation is why he is so passionate about the support insurers could offer.
“They’re aren’t just insurance things for when stuff goes terribly wrong,” he said.
“One of the great things behind income protection is managing people’s health and wellbeing so they are able to work which is fundamentally what they want.
“And Smart Health is around keeping people healthy as a value added service to products which historically you might think are only there for when things go catastrophically wrong.”
Strain on mental, physical and financial health
McLean’s comments coincided with the release of data released by Canada Life from its WeCare support service which showed that between March and July this year, 55% of employee requests through the service were for GP consultations, 20% for get fit programmes, 9% for diet support and 6% for mental health support.
Dan Crook, protection sales director at Canada Life Insurance, said the last 18 months have put a strain on people’s mental, physical and financial health, and these stresses may be heightened as the furlough scheme comes to an end.
“While the furlough scheme may be winding up, it’s likely that the hangover will be felt for some time to come,” he continued.
“As such, as an industry we must work with employers to highlight the importance of holistic support services and raise awareness of them among their staff to ensure they become embedded as a natural first port of call and not just an option of last resort,” he added.