L&G Care Concierge (Protection Review rating: Gold, Adviser score 7.3)
A Care Concierge service has been launched by Legal & General to educate employees about care procedures and help them find an appropriate care package for family members who may need later life support, such as a residential or nursing home, or funding and advice.
As part of the new service, a dedicated online hub has been set up to help users navigate their way through the care journey and provide advice around a number of key issues, including housing, means testing, care provision and funding.
Delivered by L&G's Health & Care team, the Care Concierge service is available to all employees covered by Legal & General group protection policies, and family members will get access to the guidance level service at no extra cost. This includes a 30-minute telephone consultation, assistance with care planning, guidance on typical care costs and local authority funding, and care guides are tailored to individual situations. Premium concierge services are also available at discounted rates.
L&G says that knowing what care an employee or family member needs isn't easy, but that its Care Concierge service helps people understand, find and fund the care options available to them. As well as a range of digital tools, it provides a personal telephone service, so depending on the level of support available, the employee can speak to the same person throughout your journey, whether it be at a point of crisis or just looking to plan ahead.
Carers UK estimates an extra 4.5 million people have become informal carers since the pandemic began - taking the total to 13.6 million.
L&G adds most people navigating the carer system tend to be workers aged 45-65 and many of them have dependent children themselves. Currently, one in seven working adults has caring responsibilities, but this number is likely to increase with the segment of the population aged over 85 set to double over the next 20 years.
According to WeMa, the bottom line of UK businesses are being impacted directly by 49% of employees taking sick days to support family with an elderly care need. As many as 88% of employees said they didn't receive additional paid care leave and a third (33%) reported not benefitting from any supportive employment policies, Carers UK figures showed.
Comment: For employers, it makes good economic sense to help their employees manage everyday situations that might mean their having to take days off or them simply becoming stressed and so less effective at work.
Traditionally, such help was outside the rigid benefits group risk scheme s offered. However, increasingly all protection insurers are looking more holistically at issues around sickness absence and worker stress and this new benefit from L&G is a great example.
It will cost L&G little to offer but, to an individual employee, and their family, such ‘soft’ benefits can be invaluable.
Plus points: A simple benefit aimed at group risk employees who may pick up a caring responsibility for a family member; No cost to include; Simple; Could be hugely valuable to the employee; Helps with sickness absence and stress.
Not so plus points: Little to criticise, other than it won’t solve every issue.
Website: http://www.legalandgeneral.com.
Rating (max 10): Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: Other; L&G
I Mark: No
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