Vitality has seen a 179% increase in member use of talking therapies since 2019 which it believes has helped to cut in-patient mental health claims significantly.
The insurer said during the same five-year period there was a 69% decrease in more serious inpatient mental health claims.
“While talking therapy claims have increased, Vitality claims data also found a positive correlation regarding the impact interventions such as talking therapies have on the development of more serious mental health conditions that may require hospitalisation,” it said.
Last year it also noted a correlation between higher numbers of talking therapies and reduced rates of more severe and higher cost day-patient and in-patient treatments, which were down 77% since 2015.
At the time Vitality said that while around 99% of those using talking therapies required no further treatment within three months, further analysis showed a causal relationship between these and people’s broader mental and physical health, with a 21% reduction in the risk of mental health hospital admissions and a 20% reduction in other hospitalisations due to physical health.
On the latest figures, Vitality Health managing director Keith Klintworth said: “Vitality has long believed in the importance of prevention and early intervention to improve our members physical and mental health, and to reduce the long-term burden of ill-health on insurers and the NHS.
“This is just as true for our mental health as for physical health, and this data highlights the powerful role that talking therapy services can have in delivering faster access to care, which has a positive knock-on impact in reducing the need for more intensive in-patient care.”