Johnny Timpson has called on insurers to become national leaders on disability and accessibility as he takes on a new role as a commissioner at the Financial Inclusion Commission (FIC).
Timpson (pictured) has been appointed to the 17-member commission after his three-year term as a disability and access ambassador ended last month, and told Health & Protection he intends to continue his work pushing the insurance sector to better support and enable people with disabilities.
“I think I’m the first person from the general insurance and protection sector that has been part of the FIC and I’m looking to continue the role I had as ambassador,” he said.
“The FIC is a highly influential organisation with some fantastic people in terms of academics and people from financial services sector.
“The reason I was attracted to applying for a place was how influential it is and the ability to engage right across the economy.”
Group risk provider of UK plc
Timpson noted there had been progress in the insurance industry over the last three years in accessibility and said there were many willing people with good work being done.
But he laid down the challenge for the industry to become a national leader in supporting disabled people, particularly given its wider role in the nation and the economy.
“We are the sector the rest of UK businesses outsource their risk to. If we are the group risk provider to UK plc we set the bar on diversity career progression,” he said.
“We as a sector are under-represented in the Disability Confident scheme.
“We should all be in the top level leadership rating, that’s where we need to get the industry to.”
Timpson highlighted that aside from the valid moral and social arguments it also made good business sense to become more open to those with disabilities.
He noted that around 20% of the UK working population have a disability while 30% has at least one health condition.
“That’s the nature of the market we serve,” Timpson continued.
“I think the industry is moving in the right direction but if we are not there to meet the needs directly or to signpost to people who can, that is going to affect growth and profitability. It just makes good business sense.”
Social model of disability
He noted the industry understood the medical definition of disability well but that it should be using the social model of disability and vulnerability instead.
“The banking sector is there already, the insurance sector has some way to keep up,” he said.
“What makes people vulnerable is the barriers we put in the way that stop people accessing services and then accessing the benefits.
“For example, are employee assistance programme benefits under-utilised? How are they communicated? Can people access these services?
“I’m asking the industry to learn about the social model to disability because one in five people have them and some of those are unseen,” he concluded.