Four ways PMI is evolving to better support mental health
From preventative self-care to early intervention to access to in-patient care when needed, private medical insurance (PMI) is expanding to support mental wellbeing more effectively
According to the charity Mind, one in four of us will experience some form of mental health problem each year 1. Findings from Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey show that anxiety and depression rates among UK workers have risen 75% since 2014.
As more people turn to private medical insurance (PMI) due to high pressure on NHS primary care services, insurers can play a hugely vital role to support the mental health crisis in the UK. By not just providing access to mental health treatment when it’s needed, but through intervening earlier and nurturing mental wellbeing from day one to help prevent more serious conditions occurring in the future.
With that in mind, here are four ways PMI is evolving to support client mental health:
1. A more holistic approach to healthcare
In recent years, we’ve seen an expansion of the benefits available through PMI, with a growing awareness of the importance of delivering a more holistic approach healthcare, involving self-care, when it comes to both our mental and physical wellbeing.
Primary care services such as Virtual GPs, Talking Therapies and physiotherapy – all of which have seen a big spike in usage - now sit alongside more traditional private hospital diagnostics and treatment for major conditions.
More so than ever, focus is also turning to actually preventing illness, by helping people improve their physical and mental health, as well as intervening earlier, even before treatment is needed.
2. Effective mental health triage to deliver the right care at the right time
By harnessing technology to deliver a more connected and joined-up patient experience and onward referral process, health insurers can offer more streamlined support at a time when people need it.
Our Care Hub, for example, provides a one-stop-shop where members can access everything they need from their healthcare plan, along with instant digital authorisation to speed up onward treatment.
Recent enhancements to Care Hub mean we can now recommend the most appropriate mental health support to a member in minutes. This might be Talking Therapies, guided digital self-management or Headspace. Those with more severe symptoms will be signposted to more urgent support, including SOS/Crisis line support services as well as to A&E if needed.
3. More appropriate early intervention
When symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression do manifest, like any condition, it’s important to intervene as quickly as possible.
There is strong evidence that timely, early access to Talking Therapies, such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), can be effective in delivering positive patient outcomes and reducing the need for more intensive treatment later on.
For example, from our own data, we see that despite a 179% increase in claims for Talking Therapies between 2019 – 2023, in-patient mental health claims actually decreased by 69% during that same period 2.
It’s this philosophy that sits behind our decision in 2022 to become the first UK PMI insurer to disregard underwriting for Talking Therapies, making it easier for members to access the treatment they need, while ensuring we help prevent more serious mental illnesses from developing over time.
Meanwhile, for members with less severe mental health concerns - where a referral for Talking Therapies, out-patient or in-patient care is not needed – our new app-based digital mental health support powered by Wysa provides a pathway giving access to over 150 evidence-based exercises designed by psychologists. Once triaged and registered, clients can access these exercises on demand, 24/7, empowering them to manage their mental wellbeing on an everyday basis.
Tools like Headspace – a partner we also incentivise by rewarding members with weekly Vitality Points – also make it easier for people to manage their mental wellbeing through activities like mindfulness and meditation. In 2023 alone, Vitality members enjoyed 1.4m mindfulness sessions.
4. Helping to tackle lifestyle behaviours
The link between our physical and mental health is well known, so any effective holistic mental health strategy must also address someone’s overall wellbeing.
This is about helping people to improve their baseline health, including what they eat, how much sleep they’re getting and how frequently they exercise, all of which in turn can have a big impact on mental wellbeing.
Moving more is especially important and Vitality Health members who are active at least twice a week are 17% less likely to make a severe mental health claim than those who were inactive, adding to significant evidence of the positive impact of physical activity on the prevention of, and recovery from mental health conditions.
Doing exercise as part of a community – the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week – can also be hugely beneficial. It’s one of the reasons why Vitality sponsors parkrun and co-partners the recently relaunched parkwalk. Vitality members took part in 274,000 parkruns during 2023 2.
In addition to being more mobile, there’s also a large body of research indicating that a diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables – or following a Mediterranean-style diet – can have a positive impact on our mental health 3.
However, even though we know all this is good for us, making healthier lifestyle choices isn’t always easy. This is why a behaviour change programme of incentives and rewards linked to PMI cover can be especially powerful.
We see this first hand: members engaging in the Vitality Programme achieved a 13% increase in physical activity and 20% improvement in diet during 2023 2.
1 Mind, 2024
2 Vitality Health Claims Insights Report 2024
3 Mediterranean Diet and its Benefits on Health and Mental Health: A Literature Review, NCBI, July 2020
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