Guardian to pilot MSS remote screenings

Last month we reported that Medical Screening Solutions (MSS) had redesigned its service to allow for medical evidence to be gathered without the need for a GP report or a face-to-face assessment.

It consists of a remote digital, video assessment and a ‘customer kit pack' for examinees containing a disposable tape measure for waist and hip measurements, along with home-test, self-collect, finger-prick, blood-testing kit.

Guardian, the first insurer to adopt the new service, has announced it will be piloting it for applicants who require a medical screening as of today (9 April).

Julie Hopkins, Guardian's director of underwriting & claims strategy, said: "In the last few weeks, COVID-19 has made it significantly more difficult for those requiring medical screenings to get access to insurance. At Guardian we feel strongly that those who need life and critical illness cover should be able to access it. So, we were keen to be the first to pilot the new remote screening solution offered by our partner, Medical Screening Solutions. It's great that MSS has moved so quickly to find an alternative to face-to-face screening. At this stage, the arrangement is only a pilot, but if successful we see this becoming an important part of our toolkit for the future."

Jonathan Benton, managing director of Medical Screening Solutions, said: "We're delighted to be working with Guardian on our first pilot for remote screening. While a remote approach is unlikely to ever fully take the place of face-to-face contact, the reality is that - at the moment due to COVID-19 - without it, we are leaving a big proportion of people who require medical screening behind in terms of access. Using secure GDPR compliant video-based technology and with our lab at the cutting edge of small sample finger-prick blood testing, we've worked hard to develop a remote service that minimises any potential fraud risk and maximises the amount of information we can make available so that insurers can underwrite appropriately. There are obviously tests that we won't carry out remotely but the pilot will give us the chance to assess the customer experience, learn what works well, and from there we can see how this can become a bigger part of the industry's screening offer, both now and going forward."

Caroline Froude, Guardian's head of technical underwriting, added: "We want to help those people who, because of COVID-19 and through no fault of their own, would see their applications postponed. Where we need a particular test, for example, a cholesterol test, we'll be able to request this as normal through MSS' remote screening and they'll provide us with the results we need to underwrite. It may take a little longer than previously, but we expect the pilot will allow us to underwrite more applications and support those advisers who continue to write business up to our non-medical limits."

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