OREANDA-NEWS. In January this year Aviva announced a new partnership with babylon, a leading UK-based mobile health company, to offer the latest digital technology to some of its UK healthcare clients.

This move saw an innovative virtual health service, being successfully introduced to some of Aviva’s UK key corporate healthcare clients, a change that is now being extended to its Group Income Protection customers, for the first time.

Through the new babylon app, all new and existing Group Income Protection customers going through a claim will have quick and convenient access to family GPs, specialist consultants, and state of the art health monitoring and treatment.

Customers will be able to book video or phone consultations with GPs and clinicians, without the need to visit a surgery. Appointments can be booked in seconds and customers have access to doctors 12 hours a day, six days a week, and can also ask any health related questions via text message.

Prescriptions can be posted or collected from a local pharmacy and if symptoms need further investigation, babylon provides instant referrals to specialists and diagnostic tests as and when required, through a network of specialists across the UK.

Free to download, the app also features a sophisticated symptom checker that offers customers clear advice and a monitor function that checks health and fitness vitals to help customers monitor and improve their health.
   
Steve Bridger, Director of Group Risk, UK Health said, “The partnership with babylon illustrates Aviva’s commitment to becoming a truly digital insurer, using the latest technology and digital innovation to improve our customers’ access to primary healthcare and ultimately their overall health.

“Customers have told us that they increasingly want to do business with us digitally, so this app is designed to fit in with their lifestyles and make it as easy and comfortable as possible for them to get extra help from a GP whenever they are feeling unwell.

“By introducing this technology and giving customers quick and convenient access to primary healthcare services through the virtual service, we aim to help reduce workplace absence rates, but more importantly, we want to to improve customers’ clinical outcomes.”

babylon is the first organisation of its kind to be registered with the independent healthcare regulator The Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has designated body status from NHS England. All GPs who work with babylon are GMC registered and have at least five years’ recent postgraduate experience.