“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 together. But it’s also providing a stark insight into how well our own lives are set up to cope when the chips are down.

Insurance is one of those tricky purchases to make. You hope you’ll never need it, but it’s hard to spend money on things you never expect to use. But it’s times like these you can be thankful if you made good decisions. And in insurance terms, one of the most helpful things you can do, is use a broker.

Brokers sell insurance on behalf of the companies themselves, acting as a middleman between them and the customer. It means you’ll get unbiased advice and tips on how to make the most of your spend when you purchase a policy – but the real value of your broker should be evident at times like these.

It’s relentless work just now, dealing with individual customer problems on everything from cancelled holidays to claiming on income protection policies, private health insurance needs and even, sadly, life insurance.

However, what keeps me going is the knowledge that I am able to help people – and make a big difference to their lives. When you’ve purchased the right policy for your individual life circumstances, I start out by knowing you’ll get out of it what you need in a crisis like these. And what’s more, because I have close personal relationships with the claims teams in the insurance companies themselves, I know I can take some of the strain and make it all happen for you.

I have one client that I’ve managed to work miracles for twice in the last year. I love a challenge, so when they called from the airport to arrange income protection ahead of a skiing trip last year, I was delighted to get the policy in place just as they stepped on the plane. Months later, I was able to get the policy to pay out over a workplace accident, saving weeks of financial strain.

And then last week, as businesses pulled contracts away from non-essential services, I was able to help again. When, with great foresight, they called to ask if their income protection wait period could be shortened, I was able to arrange a one week wait for just a few extra pounds a month.

It’s this level of individual attention which really helps you get your money’s worth from your policies. Now we’re in the thick of it, there’s no chance of changing things to cover the current disruption caused by our friend Covid-19 but if you’ve got extra time on your hands right now, it might just be a good time to review the cover you have going forward.

So I beg you, take a look at your policies, and if you have any concerns that they may not provide the cover you need, give me a call. It doesn’t cost a penny to use me, but you’ll get unparalleled returns in a crisis. And if nothing else, I’m on your side when things go wrong.

Give Susie a call on 01803 341600 and make sure you’re protected. We provide private health cover, life insurance, income protection, travel insurance, critical illness and a whole range of professional policies too.