Zurich Partners With Further to Offer Market-First Access to Investigation, Diagnosis and Treatment of Serious Conditions

Zurich has partnered with Further to offer investigation and treatment service for cancer, heart, and neurological conditions, including cover for treatment abroad at leading hospitals.

Accelerate can be added to any new Zurich Life, Critical Illness or Income Protection Policy at the point of sale or at any point during the life of the policy and can be cancelled at any time, allowing advisers to meet the ongoing and changing needs of their customers.

The offering is designed to provide customers with more choice and control over their healthcare decisions. It provides access to experts from around the world to offer wider choice, with fast access to consultations, diagnostics, and second medical opinions.

Accelerate can also help customers access the latest precision cancer medicine and cancer clinical trials.

Customers will have flexibility when it comes to using any of the six services Zurich Accelerate offers. They can choose which services to use and when, with the option to combine them with public or private healthcare, offering them greater control over their healthcare decisions.

Zurich Accelerate is a complimentary service to both public and private healthcare and is not intended to replace either. It gives customers an alternative route and should be taken up in consultation with their GP.

Sam Wells, Head of Proposition Innovation, describes why and how the product was developed: “From my own personal experience, I have seen the challenges that you face when dealing with a cancer diagnosis and how important it is to be supported through a complex journey that can last years, spanning investigations, diagnosis, and treatment. Each service available with Accelerate has been designed around the experience my family had to provide our customers with fast access, choice, and control, through a complete service rather than a piecemeal solution.”

Customers who access the service will be guided through the entire process by a dedicated, clinically trained case manager. Policyholder’s children will also be automatically covered from birth up to their 22nd birthday.

Zurich will also launch a radio advert in June encouraging people to contact their financial advisers to discuss Zurich Accelerate. The nation-wide broadcast will be one of the only adverts from an insurer that encourages customers to speak to an adviser, demonstrating Zurich’s full commitment to the intermediary market. Customers can also find an adviser via Zurich’s website if they don’t already have one.

Louise Colley, Director of Retail Protection at Zurich Insurance, said: “Serious illnesses have been on the rise over the last decade with a 50% increase in heart disease and one in two people receiving a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.

“Accelerate provides a suite of options to those suffering symptoms by allowing them access to fast diagnoses and giving them access to leading treatment as quickly as possible. We’re incredibly proud that this new offering fills a gap in the market with a comprehensive solution covering investigation, diagnosis, and treatment.”

Accelerate’s six services consist of:

Virtual Consultant

Customers with a GP referral gain access to a virtual consultation with a leading UK consultant at a date and time that suits them. They have access to extensive information on each consultant to help them choose which specialist is right for them.

Multiple people can attend the virtual consultation, including other doctors or family members, with a summary report being produced after the meeting detailing the next steps.

Private Diagnostics Plus

To help get a faster diagnosis, customers can choose a suitable private diagnostics centre in the UK to get the right tests carried out quickly. This will be followed by an appointment with a consultant to discuss the results.

Second Medical Opinion

For those that are unsure about a diagnosis, customers can ask for a second medical opinion. A leading consultant will give them a comprehensive review of their current medical evidence, diagnosis, and treatment plan and, if appropriate, will suggest other investigations or treatment options that may help them.

Precision Cancer Medicine

Customers who receive a qualifying cancer diagnosis get fast access to a personalised treatment plan based on their specific type and cause of cancer.

This benefit consists of a wide range of services that help tailor treatment for each customer using the latest tumour profiling technology.

If the cancer has a hereditary or genetic component, customer’s siblings and children are also eligible for testing and counselling.

Cancer Clinical Trial Support

If customers with a cancer diagnosis decide it is right for them, Accelerate can help them to access one of the hundreds of thousands of clinical trials taking place overseas. This may give them access to new or alternative treatments, drugs and therapies that may not yet be available to everyone.

Accelerate covers the cost of travel and accommodation during this time, as well as a daily allowance for customers and their travel companions.

Global Treatment Plus

Global Treatment Plus offers customers the option to be treated at some of the world’s leading hospitals and facilities, potentially giving access to treatments that might not be offered through public healthcare in the UK. Accelerate covers the cost of treatment, travel and accommodation as well as a daily allowance for customers and their travel companions, (this element offers a potential total payout of double that which exists in the market today), as well as in country follow up care and continuing medication expenses of £100,000.