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Our Guidelines We are pleased to publish our new consumer duty guidelines. These set of principles clearly sets out the steps we take in fulfilling our duty of providing higher and clearer standards of consumer protection, across the financial services that we offer to our customers. The Consumer Duty
We are pleased to announce we are offering sports injury insurance. Policies start from as little at £9 per month provide you financial support by covering a range of injuries from small broken bones to those that could have a significant impact on your...
We are pleased to announce we are offering MortgageSafe policies from MetLife – designed to provide you flexible mortgage cover options to suit your specific needs. MortgageSafe provides mortgage protection and will pay lump sums of money to help with your monthly mortgage payments…MortgageSafe is simple,...
As the COVID-19 situation develops, we want to reassure our clients that West Country Healthcare Ltd has deployed business continuity plans to minimise the impact on the wellbeing of our staff, Clients and their families whilst continuing to deliver a high-level of service to...
“We will beat this together”, said the Prime Minister on Monday as he announced the most restrictive legislation over public freedoms ever placed on UK citizens. The coronavirus pandemic is certainly a crisis which is calling on the world as a whole to work...
We are very pleased to share the news that Susie Colley, the director and owner of Westcountry Health Care has been shortlisted for an award at the 2019 Women in Insurance Awards. Susie has been nominated for an award within the ‘Risk Professional of...
It’s times like these that I find my job hard. I went into insurance because of my own personal experience – I was widowed unexpectedly, with a young child and with no financial security. My husband hadn’t taken out any insurance against his life...
Health cash plans offer flexible cover when the unexpected happens, West Country Healthcare Ltd offer one of the best that provides financial support for a range of specified accidental injuries and UK hospital stays. Fantastic value with cover starting at £8.00 a month depending...
A couple of alarming news items in the International Travel and Health Insurance Journal published earlier this year, the first stated that there has been a significant rise in the number of tick-borne disease cases in the US apparently reported cases have doubled in...
West Country Healthcare Ltd is an intermediary (or broker) who acts as a go-between between you and the insurance company from whom you wish to purchase a policy. The policy could be a life policy/critical illness/travel/house/income protection/life or even a funeral plan. Many people are quite...
There is a fantastic alternative available for the NHS to address this situation but they do not seem to want to listen. Here in the South West, we will hopefully lead the way to a new way which will revolutionise early diagnosis. Read more...
Give your clients the confidence to enjoy life without the worry of what might happen if they’re injured or need to spend time in a hospital. MultiProtect provides quick no hassle support for a range of accidental injuries and UK hospital stays from just £8...
Life insurance is a type of insurance policy which pays out a lump sum to your dependants should you pass away during the term of the contract. The cost of a policy is determined by several factors including your age, health, and lifestyle. Life...
Having been fortunate to obtain private healthcare through company programmes since I was in my mid 20’s I’ve had one or two occasions to use it for my family and very much taken it for granted. Upon retirement I decided to continue and balance...
Pensions, a staff discount, perhaps even a health plan: employee benefit packages can certainly act as an incentive to stay loyal to your company, but a new strand of staff perks has a more holistic approach – and could literally change your life. ...
I’ve just read a report by the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute which states that as many as a quarter of winter sports enthusiasts are not covered for their sports out on the slopes…and yet according to research by law firm Irwin Mitchell, exactly the...
I’ve written a few blogs on Travel Insurance now – largely because it’s one of the most commonly misunderstood policies I sell, and because it is relevant to most people. Just this week I read the most compelling article which helps demonstrate why I...
This is a true story that happened to a couple we’re going to refer to as Mr & Mrs A, five years ago… Mr A was in the travel agent booking a holiday for him and his wife. He rings his wife whilst she...
My clients, a wealthy couple who enjoyed frequent and lengthy holidays abroad, bought an Annual Multi-Trip Travel Policy from me earlier this year. Several weeks later they’d embark on a trip which immediately voided their policy and left them entirely without cover during a...
Last week I recorded a podcast with Roger Edwards whose website provides a weekly Marketing, Protection and Finance interview for Financial Services Professionals. That might all sound a bit niche, but actually, he wanted to talk to me about how insurance products serve people...
Christmas is upon us again, and like many businesses, Westcountry Health Care will be closing its doors on Christmas Eve until 4th January, 2016. Please be reassured, however, that our answerphone will be regularly checked during this period so if, in the unfortunate circumstance...
Doing this job can be hugely rewarding, a lot of the time. Supporting people through the toughest times in their lives, and being able to help them make claims on policies which give them confidence, reassurance and security it a wonderful thing. But for...
I talked earlier in the week about how the festive period poses the biggest risk to your home all year. However, it’s the same story at the office. Millions of people close down the office on Christmas Eve, only to return two weeks later. ...
It’s the season to be jolly indeed, and whilst I hate to spoil the party, there is one thing I need to point out among the merriment. Did you know that Christmas is the time you’re most likely to need to claim on your...
Getting your staff in shape to work hard, consistently and efficiently can be as simple as taking care of their health. Absences and sickness are key to reducing productivity of your business as a whole. Isn’t it therefore worthwhile to take some responsibility for...
So, it’s not wrapped up in a pretty box with ribbon, but this gift is possibly worth more than all the presents you will ever receive. It’s the key to your future health, the passport to possibly seeing your children graduate, get married or...
Sadly, I hear a lot of horror stories in this profession, but this one is one I’ll remember because it was such an avoidable situation. I had two clients, a husband and wife, and they had travel insurance through their bank. Although I advised...
Most people buy Travel Insurance via a comparison site, shortly before a planned holiday. Comparison sites are great for quick, easy cover. But, have you ever stopped to wonder: ARE you really covered? What exactly do you get for your policy? As I’ve said...
An astonishing survey out this week by one of the top Private Medical Insurers claimed that at least a third of obese people believe they are healthy. Apparently 1 in 3 people with a BMI of over 30 appear to believe they are in...
Life Insurance is, perhaps, a misnomer. It’s a policy that’s only going to pay out when you die – it’s a policy that benefits your dependents and allows them a better start on the rest of their days without you. It can also pay...
It’s almost impossible to picture your own demise. Some protective instinct in your mind seems to prevent a glorious technicolour movie of the event. Most people won’t even think about it. But almost all of us really should think about it – at least...
No-one wants to consider the event of their own death: yet it’s the only certainty in life. Even taxes vary! Death, at the present time, is indisputable. And so, if you have relatives, dependents, pets or livestock who rely on you then you need...
We seem to be spending endlessly these days. A never-ending loop of demands: mortgage, bills, food, clothes, insurance….so much insurance. Car, home, travel, mobile, life, pet, business – so many policies, so many demands. So it seems only fair that I illustrate the points...
How would you support your family or your lifestyle if you were signed off work sick? If you’ve ever thought about that, you’ve probably thought about Income Protection. But buying IP insurance is a minefield of complex questions and issues. Here are five questions...
One of the most common reasons my clients say they haven’t considered policies like Income Protection, is the widely held belief that “the state will provide”. Many people tend to assume that just as the NHS will always open its doors in an emergency,...
How would you support your family or your lifestyle if you were signed off work sick? Have you ever thought about that? You might think, “my sick pay from work would cover it” – but did you know that the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)...
In my last blog I talked about the current real need to protect businesses by providing healthcare for the workforce. With the withdrawal of Sick Pay and NHS waiting lists at an all time high, the consequences of illness within a company can be...
It wasn’t long ago that corporate health plans were a luxury – one of the biggest perks of a benefits package. For employees, it’s still seen that way: healthcare is one of the most highly valued benefits a workplace can offer. However, for employers, now...
If you’ve ever looked into private health cover yourself, you may well have found yourself bemused by the sheer quantity of jargon involved. Insurance is a tricky business, and the technicalities of underwriting and individual cover can be mindboggling. That’s why we offer our...
This sounds like a scare-mongering headline, I know, and the last thing I want to do is instil fear, but I do stand by what I say. If you are healthy, you will be fine, but should you suffer an illness, having private medical insurance...
In less than a month, the Chancellor’s planned increase in Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) will take effect. From 1st November, the rate rises from 6% to 9.5% and is likely to make medical insurance and cash plans less attractive to customers, driving many back...
This is a favourite topic of mine – so much so, that I’m revisiting it time and time again when I advise customers. After all, the comparison sites are in their heyday. Never more popular – millions of people are resorting to the easy-win...
We’ve all been there: a tough time in life in which the practical aspects of your trouble are rarely as difficult to deal with as the emotional impact. Insurance generally picks up the pieces in a practical way – paying to make things all...
Hands up anyone who’s ever thought “The only winners in the insurance game are the insurance companies themselves?” Believe me, there have been times in my life when I have thought the same. In fact that’s exactly why I started my company – because...
Four in ten parents with children under 18 have no life insurance according to research by Legal and General. And whilst a fifth say that’s because they don’t think it’s necessary, almost half say they just can’t afford it. This survey really struck a...
Sometimes, someone forces you to think about the past. That’s why, on a sunny Thursday a few weeks ago, I spent a morning remembering how I patched up the Kray twins’ bullet wounds, and kicked out a drunk Richard Burton from the ward in...
Going away this summer? Along with the sunscreen and swimmers, your travel insurance policy is a must-have. These days everyone from supermarkets to building societies are offering insurance – some people even get free travel insurance from their banks or employers. Whilst the...
I have to share the story of the experience one of my clients had this week. She’s a girl, only in her late teens, who was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. For various reasons (none of them terribly clear), she only received surgery three...
We all want to help people when they’re seriously ill – but new changes to legislation now means staff sickness could actually put you out of business. Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly common thanks to this little-known change in policy. Last April, the government quietly...
It’s the season and all that and each year it seems we buy more and more stuff in the shops. Yes the traditions – the presents and food and treats are all important and part of the fun – but how prepared are you...
Yes it’s a dramatic headline but the unwelcome news this week that the NHS is failing to meet some cancer treatment targets means, in extreme and unfortunate cases, this could happen. We all know that early diagnosis gives a far better life expectancy and...
There’s a great unspoken secret in the flood insurance industry – and it’s only found deep within the small print. Flood policies only really pay out for a “flash flood” – that means a flooding event which is entirely unpredictable. The destruction of the...
…and it’s never a pleasant subject to discuss. But it’s better to know now, than face stress and disappointment at probably the lowest point in your life. I’m talking about terminal illness. If you saw Watchdog last week you’ll probably guess what I’m about...
A hole in your ceiling is never a welcome sight. But when I discovered peeling plaster and water damage in my dining room, shortly after a simple plumbing job in the above bathroom, I did at least think there might be a straightforward resolution....
They say a rest is a good as a cure…and certainly a week in sunny Portugal with nothing more pressing than a decision between sleep or swim has been hugely beneficial to me. But I can never get away on a holiday without remembering...
I took on a new member of staff this week. It’s always an exciting time for any company but it just reminded me how recruitment is a complex business – and never more so than now. An article I read last week highlighted the...
Hands up if you’ve ever thought “The only winners in the insurance game are the insurance companies themselves”? Trust me, there have been times in my life when I have thought the same. But now I’m 20 years into a career in which I...
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