Shepherds Friendly Society, one of the oldest mutual insurers, has revealed its latest full-year numbers for claims.
“2018 has been a very busy and successful year for the Society in which the claims team has strived to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our members,” said claims and underwriting head Daniel Palk. “The Society has been successful in attracting new members and in maintaining great service and support to them, reflected by the 7% growth in our membership.
“We are delighted that we were able to pay 95.8% of our income protection claims, a reassuring figure reiterating that we are there to provide cover to our members when needed.”
Of the claims received in 2018, musculoskeletal pain (non-spinal) accounted for 27.15%; spinal problems, 14.5%; issues related to mental health, 11.97%; viral infections and flus, 9.61%; and fractures, 6.91%.
Last year the Cheadle-based mutual society rolled out its online notification feature, which is aimed at making the claims process easier by allowing members to notify Shepherds Friendly digitally.
Meanwhile claims denials were mostly due to non-disclosure of details at the time of application, not meeting the plan’s terms and conditions, and non-payment of premiums.
“We pride ourselves on ensuring that from start to finish we are able to support our members in their time of need,” added Palk. “Our trained specialists are there every step of the way to explain, guide, and keep our members up to date with the progress of their claim and to assist them in their return to work.”
