L&G and Perci Health's partnership provides specialist clinical and vocational rehabilitation services for those diagnosed with cancer while covered by their employers L&G Group Income Protection cover - and covers not just physical but psychological and practical support too. When asked, those who had been supported by L&G and Perci Health in the last twelve months said getting back to work was the top practical concern - whereas reduced energy (91%) was the top physical concern and anxiety (78%) the top psychological concern.
Interestingly, the concern about the return to work did not seem to be directly associated with finances - in fact, financial difficulties appeared in the bottom three practical concerns (28%), just ahead of relationship difficulties (26%) and difficulty speaking with children (12%).
Of the L&G claimants discharged from Perci Health services last year, 87.2% undertook the vocational rehabilitation programme, addressing critical needs for return to work support - and 12-month outcomes showed that 70% of employees reported 'clinically significant improvements' in their primary concerns.
Vanessa Sallows, claims & governance director of retail group protection at L&G, said: “The challenges faced by individuals with a cancer diagnosis are incredibly complex. To adequately address these challenges, we must provide integrated, specialist and personalised care, using the multidisciplinary (MDT) approach; all of this built into our protection offerings. In this way, we’re not only improving outcomes for the employees we’re covering and providing holistic support, but also addressing the wider impact of cancer in the workplace and wider society.”
Kelly McCabe, co-founder and CEO of Perci Health, added: “As more working age people are diagnosed, and more people are surviving longer, therefore needing to return to work after treatment, it is increasingly important to provide good quality clinical and Vocational Rehabilitation. Employment is one of the most important determinants of physical and mental health. The long term unemployed have a lower life expectancy and worse health than those who work. Not only does it provide financial security, but it’s about restoring identity, rebuilding confidence, and reclaiming normality – work can be a powerful anchor during recovery."
