One in 10 (12%) virtual GP and mental health consultations were for dependants under 18 years of age, according to Legal & General usage data.
Additionally, almost 18% of registrations to the service are for dependants under 18 years of age.
The findings are part of total usage data since the launch of the group risk insurer’s virtual GP, provided by Teladoc Health UK from July 2022 to October 2023.
The insurer added its latest Rebuilding Britain Index showed the UK was experiencing ever-widening health inequalities.
On mental health specifically, it noted reports suggest one in six children aged 5-16 years old is likely to have a mental health problem.
The availability of child mental health referrals is as valuable as the GP consultations, it said, highlighting reports that NHS waiting lists for all-age mental health support can be anywhere between two weeks to 22 weeks, depending on where in the UK an individual lives.
James Walker, head of product and proposition at Legal & General Group Protection, said: “By having group income protection in place, employers are not only helping extend essential primary care support to their employees, whether we’re covering them or not, but also to their dependants.
“This brings value to employees, relieving the worry that comes when their child is unwell.”
Rebecca White, director of operations at Teladoc Health UK, added: “At a time when NHS resources are more over-stretched than ever, feedback from the users of our service suggests that it’s truly a relief to be able to gain access when needed to the right diagnoses, medications and mental health support.
“Never more so than where a child is concerned. A child’s mental health is as much a worry for parents as for their own health and enabling swift access to experts in the face of significant waits for NHS services is invaluable.”
